A Simple but Lovely Jugendstil Pewter Stein
by Salvatore Mazzone
Florida Sun Steiners

I don't remember where or when I got it. It was a long time ago. And there's really not very much I can say about it except that it is made of pewter, stands 12.5-inches tall, has a 1.5-liter capacity, is decorated with a jugendstil swirling foliated pattern and has a flared base (Picture 1). I have seen its handle style described as "whiplash", but I think that term, as I understand it, could be applied to the entire design. I don't know who made it (I could venture a guess but I won't). It has no markings on it other than the number "1924" hand-scratched onto the underside of its base. I interpret this as a date, and, assuming it is, only means it existed in 1924 and could have been made earlier. I would date it more generally as c.1900. Oh, and it is in really great condition.

Wikipedia describes "Jugendstil" as follows: "Jugendstil ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany, and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent, from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of Art Nouveau. The members of the movement were reacting against the historicism and neo-classicism of the official art and architecture academies. It took its name from the art journal 'Jugend', founded by the German artist Georg Hirth. It was especially active in the graphic arts and interior decoration."

And that's about it.

It's just a simple but lovely Jugendstil pewter stein. And, at its core, simple but lovely is what Jugendstil is all about.