Photos from the Road. Thirtieth Installment. Page 6 Prosit, December by Master Steinologist Ron Fox

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1 Page 6 Prosit, December 2013 Photos from the Road Thirtieth Installment by Master Steinologist Ron Fox I start this installment from our recent trip to Europe that my wife and I made with Steve and Suzanne Elliott. It was a glorious three weeks of travel through six different countries. The surprise for me was the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. What an awesome beautiful town. Fellow stein collector Rick D Ambrosca, who has lived there for 20 years with his lovely wife Renata, spent two days showing us the sites. We can t wait to go back. Rick collects old brewery steins from the German city of Munich. This area of stein collecting is very popular both here in the United States and Europe. The next two pages is a just a few from Rick s extensive collection. The first stein is the official 1935 Munich Oktoberfest Anniversary stein. It was designed by the artist Paul Neu. Next is from the Kochel Brewery made around This brewery was founded in In 1879 it was named Kochel Bräu Martin Müller. In 1890 it was changed to Brauerei zum Kochelbräu Franz Erich and finally in 1918 to "Kochel Bräu München AG." We end the top row with a stein from the Schwabinger Brewery (Munich), made in the early 1900 s. The original Brewery was founded in 1877 and in 1887 the name changed to Dampfbrauerei Schwabing Ludwig Peutuel, In 1889, it was called Salvatorbrauerei Schwabing, in 1892 the name was changed to "Salvator Brewery in Schwabing" (Salvatorbrauerei in Schwabing AG), in 1899 the name was changed to Salvator Brewery (Salvator Brauerei AG), and then again in 1917 it was changed to Schwabinger Brewery (Schwabinger Brauerei AG). This next stein is one of Rick s absolute favorites. It is another Salvator Brewery stein and rare with fine details in the design. It dates around the 1900 period. The Pshcorr Brewery (Bräu rosl ) opened the largest Oktoberfest tent in Their tent held 12,000 people. This next 1/2 liter stein was made at that tme for their tent. The middle row ends with a stamped Augustiner stein from around There are two versions of this stamped stein in both Blue and Black lettering.

2 Prosit, December 2013 Page 7 The bottom row on the left hand page starts with an Eberl Brau stein from This stein was reproduced, so buyer beware. Next is a Burger Brau, also from This Ringer design was used by several different breweries. The verse translated reads "Drink Happily all day, Thirst is a heavenly gift" The last stein on the left hand page is a nicely decorated Lowenbrau from 1920 depicting a drinking lion. This page starts with another Lowenbrau stein from This was only available as an award for some employees. Next is the Brauerei Munchner Kindl stein with striking yellow and black coloring. The top row ends with another Franz Ringer decoration.this stein comes in both a 1/2 and 1 liter size. The verse translated reads Arts and Crafts of the strong country" The middle row starts with a stoneware Spatenbrau with impressed logo. It is from 1910 and comes in several sizes. It also comes with a POG decoration. Next we have a Lowenbrau stein that reads "Hotel Men's Mutual Benefit Association European Tour of This group was formed in 1879 and evolved into an organization or club of hotel managers and owners. The middle row ends with an Augustiner Stein, which comes in similar variations and several sizes. The bottom row begins with a Wagner Brau stein. This brewery was founded in 1846 and this stein is rare and has several variations of the same theme, Munich in red or blue lettering, also the first letters of Wagner Brau in red and/or blue. Next is a very rare Hacker Brau stein that was designed by Franz Ringer. The lid has a well known ringer styled raised heart shape, but they incorporated the Hacker logo (axes) into the heart on the lid. The last stein is from Unions Brau in This well know stein is a favorite amongst Munich brewery stein collectors. This stein can be found in 1/2, 1, 2, and 5 liter size variations. Most have the sun rays worn off or repaired.

3 Page 8 Prosit, December 2013 Our trip took us to Nurnberg and the opportunity to visit the home of Helmut and Elisabeth Neuner. It had been almost 20 years since I had last been there. I was aware of major changes and additions to his collection. Helmut has been aggressively chasing the best early faience steins that have come onto the market. As you will see in the next four pages, he has been extremely successful in his persuit. Elisabeth prepared a wonderful lunch of white wurst and pretzels. It was obvious to everyone that I was anxious to go handle and photograph the steins. They were merciful and quickly pardoned me from the table once I had finished my meal. The first faience stein is from the Nurnberg factory. It has a very detailed high quality scene of Christ being taken down from the cross. The dark blue on blue decoration was done the beginning of the 1700s. Next is a very rare Ansbach from the Green Family. It is muffle fired (low fired) and has a full palette of color like a Hausmauler. It dates to around The third stein on the top row is extremely unusual. It is believed to be made by the Crailsheim factory and has an overall brown surface glaze. On top of the brown glaze you have the typical white tin glaze and a wonderful hunting scene. I have not seen anything like it. The second row starts out with another Ansbach faience stein. It is a Hausmauler painted by Johann Schöllhammer in Hausmaulers were painted by several well known artists of their day. They bought the blank white tin glaze bodies from noted factories and painted them at home in their own studio. Once completed, they would bring the finished body to be fired. They usually have fancy impressive pewter or silver mounts. These steins were commissioned pieces for the aristocratic class. They were expensive when made, and are the most expensive faience steins today. The middle of the page is an early Nurnberg faience featuring a family shield on the front panel. It is signed on the base by painter Philipp Conrad Schwab in The pewter mounts are exceptional. The next stein is from the Nurnberg factory and shows a building scene where you can see a brewery and a tailor shop. The bottom row begins with a stein from the Schrattenhofen factory. Two men carry an oversized cluster of grapes. I have seen

4 Prosit, December 2013 Page 9 this scene used by many other faience factories. The middle of the bottom row, on the left hand page, is another Hausmauler, but instead of a full palette of color it is only done in Schwatzlot (black enamel). For me, these are the best looking of all the Hausmalers. It is Nurnberg circa 1720 and painted by Matthias Schmid. The battle on horseback scene is detailed and stunning. The last stein on the left hand page is from the Dorotheenthal factory. It is dated 1721 with a verse surrounded by a wreath. The first stein on this page is a Hausmauler painted on a pear shaped body (birnkrug), from the Hanau factory. It is signed by the famous artist Abraham Helmhack, circa The great quality painting is further enhanced by the fancy hand chased silver mounts. This next stein is from the Salzburg factory and decorated on a tapered body with a flared foot. The sides are as decorative as the front panel. This stein was made for a merchant dealing and transporting salt. The first row ends with another Hausmauler on a pear shaped body. This landscape was painted by Wolfgang Rössler and the body was made in 1700 at the Frankfurt faience factory. The middle row starts out with this fabulous Bayreuth stein. It features a well dressed man painted in muffle fired enamel colors. It was good seeing it again, as it once belonged to me. The middle of the page has a shoemaker occupational from the Rheinsberg factory. The rounded body is a shape seldom seen on faience steins. Next is another Hausmauler from the Nurnberg factory. It is painted by Matthias Schmid, circa The decoration appears to be biblical in nature and wraps around the entire body. The bottom row starts with another Green Family stein. Great floral design. Next we have an impressive stein from the Dorotheenthal factory. The detailed purple oriental scene helps make it a standout. We end this page with a blue decorated signed Kunersberg faience. Like the previous stein, it has an oriental flair to the scene.

5 Page 10 Prosit, December 2013 Besides Helmut s incredible faience steins, he also has some fantastic stoneware, especially his Kreussen pieces. This page starts out with one of his Kreussen tankards decorated with the very difficult to find lunar subject matter. It is dated 1690 and the body is almost completed covered with the enamel decoration. This next Kreussen has one of the rarest decorations. It features a husband and wife with their children enameled along each side. A custom made family heirloom seldom seen. It is also unusual not to have applied relief work on the body. We finish out the top row with another Kreussen decorated with the twelve apostles and the salvation lamb in the front oval. A very impressive row. The middle row starts off with a Kreussen decorated with the Electors. These were the royal ecclesiastical princes that ruled the Germanic states during the 1600 and 1700s. These men were responsible for electing the future Holy Roman Emperor. The middle of the page is a large Altenberg with an hour glass form. It has detailed applied pearl work in a floral design. There are seven pewter body bands set into the grooves of the body. Next is another Kreussen tankard decorated with a nighttime hunting scene. Notice the stars in the sky. The tall tankard shaped body is uncommon for this factory. The bottom row starts out with a Kreussen in a short wide body which is the more typical form for this factory. The apostle motif is much more common then the decoration we have previously shown. The large 1 1/2 liter size of this stein makes it hard not to be noticed. Kreussen stoneware is salt glazed and then enameled. Annaberg stoneware has a black slip glaze fired onto the body and then enameled. It is easy to tell these two factories apart if you just look at the color behind and around the enamel. Kreussen is a matte chocolate brown and Annaberg a shiny blackish glaze. The last stein is from the Annaberg factory. What is very unusual about this stein is that they glazed part of the background and left part of it unglazed. This gives the stein a two tone background color behind and around the enamel. I have seen this twotone application on pieces void of enamel, but not with pieces decorated with enamel.

6 Prosit, December 2013 Page 11 The top row has three fantastic Hausmauler faience steins. The first is painted by Nurnberg artist Abraham Helmhack. It is done in a combination of both multicolored and Schwartzlot (black enamel). It is signed AH at the bottom of the handle. The next stein was painted by Augsburg artist Bartholomaus Seuter. It features a muffle fired floral and salvation lamb decoration. Another old friend I once owned. The top row finishes with another Hausmauler stein painted by Bartholomaus Seuter. It has a multi colored floral design, and only violet color was used for the front oval panel. Hafnerware is lead glazed earthenware and predates German faience. The middle row starts off with such a stein. It is from the workshop of Paul Preuning of Nurnberg and dates back to the middle of the 16th century. The yellow, green and brown glaze coloring is typical for this factory. The next stein is more then a little unusual. Helmut believes it to be made by the Altenberg factory, but it is certainly possible to have come from a small workshop we are not already familiar with. It is covered with a powder blue lead glaze that has a dark brown dot pattern. The center panel is tan with GK initials. No matter where it was made, it is an interesting 18th century stein. We complete the middle row with a Frankfurt a. Main stein circa The blue floral decoration was painted in the Chinese manner, which is not unusual for earlier German faience pieces. The bottom row has two 17th century Annaberg stoneware steins. The first is decorated with a Saxon shield in the front panel. On one side is buildings and the other side a unicorn. Unusual subject matter. The second is a very rare Annaberg stein. Instead of the usual black glaze covering, it was made with a light blue glaze. The blue glaze coating certainly makes a tremendous difference in the stein s appearance. Getting to see Helmut s collection, and take my own photos, was a real treat for me. My thanks go out to him and his lovely wife.

7 Page 12 Prosit, December 2013 Before we left the Nurnberg area, I wanted to make a visit to the German National Museum. It had been many years since I was last there, but I remembered I was very impressed with the steins they had on display. The first piece is a Kreussen tankard with a detailed hunt scene that wraps around the entire body. What you cannot judge from the photo is the size. It is about 10 wide and only 7 tall. It is about the biggest Kreussen I have ever seen. Amber is vitrified tree sap and only on very rare occasions will you see it used in the making of a beer stein. They usually date from the 17th century and are small in size. The one on the top row is a rare large size, measuring out at over 1 liter. I was so impressed with this stein that I must have stood in front of the case for almost half an hour. I sure would have liked to have had it in my hands. Even better would be to have it on my shelf. You can dream, can t you? The screw jug starting out the middle row is quite unique. It is from the Kreussen factory, but instead of the usual brown salt glazed stoneware, it is done in a white tin glaze earthenware. Technically, that makes it faience. I do not know of any other pieces Kreussen made in this manner. The middle of the page shows a musician playing a viola. It is from the Nurnberg factory and is dated 1736 within the scene. Hafnerware steins from the Nurnberg workshop of Paul Preuning are extremely rare. This one has a large beard neck and crucifixion scene on the front panel. It was made around Starting out the bottom row is a large Rheinish stoneware bearded jug with original pewter lid. There is a belly stamp of an early Roman warrior. This type of stoneware is from the late 16th century. Scandinavian wood steins were made throughout a large area covering several countries. They were made as early as 1650 and continued right up until the present day. The last stein on this page is from around 1700 and still has the original folk art painting on the body and lid. Metal bands hold the wood slats in place.

8 Prosit, December 2013 Page 13 I continue this installment with photos from the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. They would not allow me to take photos, so I bought their museum booklet. Unfortunately there were only a few photos of their great pieces. There was much more on display and they were fabulous. I start this page with a super black enamel (schwarzlot) Hausmauler. The detailed hand painted scene wraps around the entire body. I have shown many Hausmauler tankards in this issue, but please do not get the impression that they are easily found. I have only found two in 40 years. The art of firing enamel decorations on glass began in the early 17th century. This pokal is a great early custom example dated 1654 and depicts the members of the family it was made for. The last item on the top row is a delicately wheel cut glass stein. It has a great brass handle, lid and base rims. It is done in the rock crystal style. Early pewter steins are difficult to find. There are many good reproductions, so you need to do your homework before spending a lot of money on one. This pewter stein is from 1599 and has busy engraving around the enire body. And yes, it is original to that date. The middle row ends with a large wide Annaberg stoneware stein. It has royal figures on the front and a hunt scene around the sides. Even though the enamel used on both Annaberg and Kreussen pieces is the same as what the glass factories used, it sure looks different. The bottom row is an Austrian glass beaker by Mildner circa It features a well dressed black man in the Zwischengold front oval panel. Next is a very rare Italian Facon de Venise circa 1650 goblet with a figural serpent stem. Goblets like these are extremely fragile and the reason few exist today. Rheinish stoneware steins date back to the mid 1400 s. In the later part of the 1500 s, they began applying pewter lids to the bodies. This spouted stein was made by the Siegberg factory around The lid is original and was mounted when the stein was made.

9 Page 14 Prosit, December 2013 Like I had said earlier in this writing, Munich brewery steins are highly collected both in Germany and here in the States. The next two pages belong to the collection of Bill and Rhoda Fry, who live only 45 minutes from me. The first stein is from Gerner Brau, founded in The name changed several times, but in 1920 it again returned to the original name. The stein has a very colorful attractive landscape scene with relief brewery logo on the lid. Hacker Brau has a long history going as far back as the 15th century. In 1793 Pschorr Brau and Hacker Brau merged through marriage and a new era had begun for these breweries. The stein in the middle of the top row has their logo on the body and lid. The last stein on the top row is from Kloster Brau founded in 1882 and closed on Augustiner now owns that name. The middle row starts off with a detailed scene of Munich for the Hofbrauhaus. The Munich Child holds up their HB shield. I think it is fair to say that there were more HB steins produced than any other Munich brewery steins. The middle of the page is a Zacherl Brau stein with matching logo on the relief lid. It stands for Franz Xaver Zacherl who was master brewer. Next is a Burger Brau Stein. It features the Frauenkirche in an oval panel with brewery designation around it in a wreath. Franz Ringer did many designs for Munich breweries like the one for the Hofbrauhaus starting out the bottom row. When King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden invaded Bavaria during the Thirty Years' War in 1632, he agreed to leave the city in peace if the citizens surrendered some hostages, and 600,000 barrels of Hofbräuhaus beer. Now that s some pretty good beer. Next is a pottery Thomas Brau stein. Part of the Paulanerbrau dynasty. We finish the bottom row with a stein from the Spaten Brau brewery. They are one of Munich s big six, but have to work extra hard to earn the respect they are rightly due. The others are Hofbrauhaus, Hacker Pschorrbrau, Lowenbrau, Augustinabrau, and Paulaner.

10 Prosit, December 2013 Page 15 One liter cobalt decorated stoneware steins are usually earlier than those with POG decorations. They usually have impressed or hand scratched brewery names or logos. It is not uncommon to find many of these steins without lids. The first one is to Bavaria Keller, which is a beer hall operated by Augustinerbrau. It is fitting to have a relief scene of the Bavaria monument, which overlooks the Oktoberfest grounds. Next is an early Hackerbrau stein. It features the crossed axes which is their brewery logo. The top row is completed with another Augustinerbrau. It has their name impressed into the front of the body. The middle row starts with a Lowenbrau stein. It has Lowenbrau Keller Munchen No scratched into the body. I assume the number represents how many of these steins were produced to that point? The center of the page has a Kochelbrau stein. This brewery was started in 1877 and closed in It is not a common brewery stein. Pschorrbrau made a large variety of different steins for their brewery. This one liter is less common than most of their others. The bottom row starts off with a variation from the Spaten brewery. It features their shovel logo impressed into the body. Next to it on the opposite page, is its POG cousin in a 1/2 liter size. The middle of the bottom row has a large MB scratched into the body. It stands for Matthiasbrau and is an early example of this stein. We finish up with another 1 liter with scratched Munchner Burger Brau across the front of the body. This installment is probably one of the best groupings I have presented since this series began. I hope everyone enjoys the visual tour.