The paper analyses maiolica ceramic dishes from the late 16th and early 17th centuries found in Vilnius' Old Town. The items in question were the first imported maiolica dishes in the town. They are classified and their production sites are identified on the basis of their technical and stylistic characteristics, and in accordance with foreign analogies. Thus, five plates are assigned to the Antwerp production centre, while the stylistic and manufacturing characteristics of another plate are found to be similar to the Haarlem and Antwerp maiolica production centres. One small bowl with religious inscriptions is assigned to the Faenza production centre in Italy. A fragment of a berrettino-type plate is associated with the Liguria region or Venice. The paper attempts to assess the significance of the first maiolica dishes in daily life in Vilnius in the late 16thand early 17th centuries. The relationship between the find spots and historical data suggests that four dishes could be associated with Catholic monasteries. During the period in question, maiolica ceramics were a rarity: they performed both an aesthetic and a luxury function; on three pieces of bottoms of plates, holes were found for hanging the plate on the wall. The information presented in the paper provides an opportunity to deepen our knowledge about maiolica dishes in Vilnius' Old Town, which have not been investigated much, and to identify the prospects for further research.
The settlement of Šventoji (also known as Heiligen Aa and Janmarienburg) was established in the fourth quarter of the 17th century by English merchants, and is well documented in written historic sources, and in cartography. The purpose of the settlement was to improve the sea trading positions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, with the help of West European merchants. This political project only lasted a few decades, but it was quite successful in terms of trade and material profit. Historical data and archaeological artefacts allow us to analyse this settlement of English merchants from various points of view. The first interest in Šventoji as a possible Baltic Sea port was documented in 1662, when ideas for a new port between the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and Prussia appeared (Kiaupa 1999, 2009). The unfavourable political situation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the coastland emerged: Sweden invaded Riga, and Klaipėda and Königsberg were taken over by Prussia. However, the idea was not implemented, and remained as a project (Kiaupa 1999). Nevertheless, the idea of a new port suggests that interest in Šventoji was growing, even among West European merchants (Kiaupa 1999, 2009). In 1679, English merchants, represented by Richard Borynhi, asked for permission to set up in Šventoji (Kiaupa 2009). Other historians mention that Jan Sobieski only granted permission to establish a trading company in 1685 (Lewitter 1968; Bajer 2012). Merchants were exempt from taxation for six years, with the approval of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and were allowed to build houses, trade, and set up a port on the River Šventoji (Fig. 1). The English merchants immediately started work in Šventoji, and built a small settlement in six years. In 1685, the English company Jean Hurst et Company was allowed to dredge the river and build a new port (Drevinskas 1989; Žulkus, Springmann 2001). In maps from 1685 and 1688, the settlement is depicted by the bends in the River Šventoji. There was an English company house, warehouses, a trading house, and a tavern (Kiaupa 2009). According to historic data, by 1680, English ships were sailing to Šventoji with cargoes consisting of salt, wine, iron and tobacco (Kiaupa 2009). Historic evidence of the names of some of the English merchants who worked in this settlement is also available. Four are described as the main people in the Šventoji trading company: Richard Brynley (1685), Thom Rychardson, Jean Hurst and Robert Archer (Kiaupa 1999). In addition, other merchants' names also occur in historic sources: Richard Borynhi (1679),
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