Stein Collectors International
Featured Stein: August 2024

The Epiphany of St. Hubertus

By John Piet

This month's stein is a pottery relief stein by Reinhold Hanke, #1274. The central image on this stein depicts the kneeling figure of St. Hubertus, patron saint of hunters among French and German-speaking peoples of Europe. The crucifix between the antlers of a stag symbolizes the vision that appeared to him at the moment of his epiphany.

As the story goes, when his wife died giving birth to their son, Hubert withdrew into the forest and did nothing but hunt. One Good Friday morning while the faithful made their way to church, Hubert was pursuing a magnificent stag. As the animal turned its head, Hubert was astounded at the sight of a crucifix between its antlers. He heard a voice say: “Hubert, unless thou turnest to the Lord, and leadest a holy life, thou shalt quickly go down into hell.”

Hubert dismounted, prostrated himself and said, “Lord, what wouldst Thou have me do?” and was told “Go and seek Lambert. He will instruct you.” Lambert, who was the bishop and later canonized a saint, became his spiritual director and Hubert began the many good works that led him to become a bishop and a saint himself.

The text around the base of the stein reads "Frischer Trunk labt Jägerblut, thut auch anderen Leuten gut." which translates to "A cool drink refreshes hunter's blood, and it also does good for other people."

The character and story of St. Hubertus is very popular. Depictions of Hubert and his vision can be found on over a dozen steins in the Beer Stein Library and on over two dozen paintings on the Internet.

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