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From: Mike Allgaier
Remote Name: 24.236.155.225
Hi, I’m writing to request your help in identifying an old family stein. The stein is from Germany and was brought to America by my grandfather sometime in the early 1900s. The family believes this occurred prior to WWI. I have posted pictures of the stein at the following site: http://web.mac.com/mikeallgaier/ The stein itself is approximately 12” high. With lid it’s close to 15”. The base is 4 ½” in diameter. The stein tapers up to approximately 3” at the mouth. On the top flat rim (collar?) is stamped: 1 ½ L. The stein is glazed both inside (cream) and out (dk green background) and has quite a bit of detail in the characters and figures on the outer surface. The stein has a woodland motif depicting a scene of hunters returning from a successful hunt. They have their glasses (animal horn cups) raised as if in a toast. There are many trees, roots, limbs, branches leaves, rocks, fallen logs, etc. in great detail covering the stein. The handle is crafted to depict a tree limb. As you will see from the pictures on the web site - http://web.mac.com/mikeallgaier/ - the characters appear to be from the “middle ages” as the persons depicted are wearing animal skins, helmets with (animal) horns, animal skulls with skins attached as a headdress, breast plates, etc. Weapons include spears, knives and hatchets. There are numerous shields in the scene. There is also a horse with rider in the scene. As shown in the pictures, there are many colors including what appears to be some type of gold and silver plating covering the breast plates, spear tips, bracelets, horn rims, belts, etc. There is a “ribbon” near the bottom with the following verse: “Trink nach aller Deutscher Weise Lang noch diesen Stenkrug leer” I am told this translates to: “Drink like the old Germans use to drink, You can empty it many times.” The pewter ring, or top, is a one piece conical piece of pewter engraved (pressed?) with a pattern that reminds me of a Kaiser’s helmet. It has different levels or gradations (tiered?) and rises to a point. There are no letters, numbers or other distinguishing marks on the lid, however, there are tooling marks on the inside that one would see when tooling soft metal on a lathe. The thumblift is flat in the shape of a leaf with openings on each lobe. The hinge appears to be (single) “pinned”. On the bottom there is stamped the following: 163 0 Germany 0 - see a close up on the web site. There are also what appear to be the numbers 1630 at the base of the handle, though they are somewhat cut off by the handle and difficult to make out. Finally, near the base of the stein below a tree root is a symbol which I believe is the artist’s signature. It appears to be the letters “R” and “ D”. They are overlayed, meaning, one is superimposed on the other. There is a very good close up of the symbol on the web site http://web.mac.com/mikeallgaier/ note that there appears to be a small heart symbol at the base of the R’s right leg. Some years ago Roland A. Henschen of Minooka, IL wrote stating that these letters might suggest the artist was a Rudy Decker, or a Karl Decker if the “R” is instead a “K”. He also noted that if there was a “heart” shape in the area then it was most likely Rudy. Until I took a close up (photo) of the symbol, I never notice what appears to be a heart symbol. Mr. Henschen speculated this stein probably came from the town of Hohr/Grenzhausen and possible from the Girmscheid Firm. He went on to say that if the initials were K/B, then the artist may have been Karl Bueler, if R/D or K/D then it was Rudy or Karl Decker or Dekter, or Dekker. He indicated little is known about either of these latter artists. Finally, Mr Henschen stated that he could only speculate as to its origins – the firm and the artist, so his interpretation may be inaccurate. This stein has been in the family for nearly 100 years. Unfortunately, anyone who would know anything about it has been dead for many years. I do not collect steins, but treasure this one as a family heirloom. Any help that your organization or members could provide concerning it’s background would be greatly appreciated by my family. Sincerely, Mike Allgaier