Ceramic pot handle of a jester’s head

This ceramic pot handle featuring a jester’s head was found in Nya Lödöse, an archaeological site of a 16th century town beneath modern-day Gothenberg.  It may therefore date from the same time. 

You can’t help but like his broad, beatific smile, as if he’s chuckling at some private thought. 

What does it tell us of people’s awareness of jesters?  Might there have been jesters in Gothenburg? 

Imagine grabbing the pot by the handle to pour – what might it have been used for?  Soup?  Ale? 

Image credit: pot handle found in Nya Lödöse, Museum of Gothenburg, Sweden; photo by Charlotta Gavelin