The
stein is made of porcelain which is translucent (transmits light) and allows for the inclusion in the base of a
lithophane so you can see a picture (made by varying the thickness of the
porcelain) in the bottom
when you have finished drinking the contents. This lithophane, shown on the right, has a scene of two young ladies reading a letter presumably from a young man off in the military. The same stein bodies with
lithophanes were decorated for military, occupational and many other types of steins.
The verse on the front reads:
Wenn Dir der Frühlingsmorgen lacht, If a spring morning smiles on you,
Bock, Wurst und Rettig nicht veracht, don’t frown on bock beer, sausage and radish,
Gebrauch die Kur zum offnen Spund, but take the cure from an open tap,
Das Herz wird froh, der Leib gesund. then the heart will be merry, the body healthy.
The verse on the left reads: Hoch lebe die edle Bierbrauerei.
( Long live the noble occupation of beer brewing.)
The verse on the right reads: Hopfen u. Malz, Gott erhalt’s.
( Hops and malt, may God preserve them.)
And in fine print below: Nachbildung gesetzl.verboten.
( Reproduction strictly (legally) forbidden (patented, copyrighted).)
The scene on the rear under the handle, shown to the right, depicts the brewer with his wife at leisure.
Courtesy of the Erste Gruppe Chapter of SCI