Male urinal, Netherlands, 1740-1760

Earthenware bottle-shaped male urinal with polychrome decoration, Dutch, 1740-1760

Illustrated with a picture of a woman holding an umbrella while standing by a lake, this earthenware urinal was intended for men to urinate into. Such portable urinals would have been owned, particularly by wealthier people, at a time when few hygienic toilet facilities were to be found outside of the home. They were particularly useful on long coach journeys.