[Gabi]

Dear Stein Collectors International (SCI),
We are Eighth-grade students at the International School of Prague. We have recently started a new project in our Social Studies class. We have been assigned an unidentified artifact from the Lobkowicz family collections (the Lobkowicz family is an old Bohemian noble family). We have to identify our specific object and think about where we would place it if we were to display it in a museum. We also need to use the object to tell a story about its history. We have to research who made it, why it was made, what it was used for, and learn how it connects to its time period. In order to successfully accomplish this challenge, our group has to function like a curator at a museum.

My group was assigned what we think is an Apostle/hunt Beer stein (see image below). We think this is the case because of the following information.

– We have researched other beer steins and we seemed to have found many beer steins that look very familiar. We believe it was made in the 16th or 17th Century.

-The design on the beer stein looks like it was made in Europe. It has a man riding on a horse that seems to be holding a sword. There are also two deer on either side of the man. It is approximately 17cm in height.

-We believe it was made in Kreussen or Annaberg. As when searching for our stein came across these words. We then searched the words and Kreussen seems to be a town in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria, Germany. Annaberg is a town in Lilienfeld in lower Austria. We also believe that the beer stein is related to the medieval hunt and the 12 Apostles.
Kreussen stoneware is a brand of german salt-glazed stoneware produced at Kreussen in Bavaria. Kreussen stoneware was made from the late 16th century until 1730-1732. The earliest known example of kreussen stoneware decorated with overglaze colours was made in 1622. Kreussen stoneware decorative themes included Apostles, the imperial electors, hunting scenes, the planets, and commemorations of families and marriages.
The town kreussen is thought to be named after the German word “krausen” or “krauss” meaning decorated drinking vessel. Kreussen beer steins are distinctive for their chocolate brown colouration and their bright and colourful decorations.

The Medieval hunt was a highly regulated sport. The king and the nobles were the only people allowed to hunt. When hunting they used dogs to sniff out the trail of the animal and horses to be able to chase the animal. They usually used spears, bows, arrows and swords. This clearly relates to our stein as the noble and horse are painted on the stein and so are the deer.
When searching about the medieval hunt we came across Stein Center.com where we found your group. As collectors, we presumed you would have information about beer steins and we would like to ask you some questions. If you would be so kind to answer them we would be greatly appreciative.

Here are some questions we have:
Are there any resources that explain the process of making beer steins?
Are there any mentions of important people in Bohemia receiving beer steins for their hunter skills?

We also believe it might have been some sort of prize or it might have been special. Where steins used or made as trophies at a tournament or maybe for the nobles and kings?
Is there any way to tell who made the beer steins?
Are there any big manufacturers in Kreussen or Annaberg that could have made the beer stein?
We are pretty certain it came from Kruessen or Anna ber but do you think they could have been made somewhere else? Are there any manufactures you think could have made our beer stein or have similar ones to ours? Do you think we are right?
Do you think the medallion of the leaves on the beer stein means something or was it just decoration?

Do you think this could have been from a larger group of beer steins with the same concept/theme or is it just one?
Are there any possible questions that could be asked about our object that could give us good information?
Are there any other historical questions that we are missing?
If you could help direct us to helpful information, or electronic resources we would really appreciate it. It would also be amazing if you could send us information or pictures of some beer steins you have collected that look similar to ours. If we have contacted the wrong person to help answer our questions, we would really appreciate it if you could forward this email to the right person.
Thank you for your time.
I have some pictures of our beer stein but the forum would not let me post them. If you want to look at the pictures please email me.

Best regards,
Gabi, Lily, Marek, Solomon

[Ron]

Gabi, Lily, Marek, andSolomon,

What a thoroughly researched question. I could use some help like that on my research projeects. I have asked the webmaster to help you post some photos. You can reach him on the Home page. Be sure to include photos of the bottom and all sides of the stein. Your e-mail address is private and does not show up on this site although you have to disclose it in order to post your question.

There is a lot of information available on these old stoneware steins, but perhaps not enough detail to answer all your questions. I will try to find you some data on the Internet. The Beer Stein Libray and the Reading section of this site has some information on early stoneware steins. I do not collect them myself.

When I see your photos I will know what to look for.

[WaltKeymaster]

Here are the photos –

[Ron]

Gabi,

Since your stein was not handthrown on a potter’s wheel, that eliminates Creussen as the source. A handthrown pottery ware is removed by sticking a wire on the bottom, which causes concentric circles. This stein was made from a mold, which may be from Annaberg. While it may be considered a copy or reproduction, it is still old.

The Beer Stein Library (see Reading secton) has some articles on early stoneware. The Internet Archive also has some electronic sources for reference. You may have to sign up for free to borrow the books. If you find an interesting article, use the Snipping Tool to cut it out and paste it to a Word document to keep as a reference source. TBSL article has an excellent biliography that you might want to search for more information.

The photo is not that clear and I lose resolution when I enlarge it. Do any of the stags have a cross between their antlers? The scene reminds me of St. Hubertus – patron saint of hunters.

The pewter lid might help you identify the source or year if it has a touchmark. The handle appears to be pewter, which is unusual and may be a further clue. The potter’s made their own earthenware handles.

It is more likely that these were given as gifts rather than prizes. These were not for the ordinary peasant, particularly a hunting stein.

Good luck on your research as you are already off to a good start.

[Author]

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