Aegina Greece – Water Jug with the Image of JFK (John F. Kennedy)

Water jug from the Greek island of Aegina (c. 1965). The vessel is made from local yellowish clay with characteristic floral decoration. The particularity however, is at the base of the neck, where is placed in relief form the image of U.S. president J. Kennedy. Perimetrically of the President’s image is written “JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY 1917- 1963”. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th and the first Catholic Irish American President of the United States, serving from 1961 until 1963. Kennedy was assassinated by a sniper on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. His assassination affected many people, not only in the U.S. but around the world. Kennedy features prominently in popular culture and even today continues to rank highly in public opinion ratings of former U.S. presidents. The potter from Aegina created his mold probably copying a medal from the hundreds that have been released worldwide with Kennedy’s image. In this way he wanted to honor the memory of a great personality that had a tragic and unexpected end. This rare ceramic shows the influence of world events in pottery production, even if these occur thousands of miles away.