Glutton on a barrel: a comic figure from the late sixteenth century

This clay container with a coloured tin glaze shows a man sitting on a barrel with a beer tankard in his hand. In front of him there is a plate of meat and pies. Vines and grapes on his head and belly show that he is Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. The head can be removed and serves as a stopper for the container. This was originally one of a group of figures that belonged to the widow of Ferdinand of Tyrol.