Europe, Germany, Mettlach Villery & Bosch, Catalog No. #1786. Design attributed to Otto Hupp. Dated 1891. A fabulous Mettlach beer stein made from glazed stoneware and pewter, featuring St. Florain putting out a fire with beer poured from the stein in his hand on the vessel's walls and a glazed stoneware St. Florian Dragon handle with pewter around the dragon's neck and a lovely pewter cupola lid covered with scalloped 'tiles'. The text on the vessel reads, "Hilf Du heil’ger Florian, / wir fangen’s zweite Löschen an. (Help thou Holy Florian, we begin the second extinguishing.)" A wonderful beer stein dedicated to the patron saint of firefighters. Contains .5 liter as noted on the vessel to one side of the thumb lift. Size: 6" W x 8.625" H (15.2 cm x 21.9 cm)
According to the Mettlach Stein Catalog, "Other variations include a smooth pewter rooftop lid, a pewter lid with a relief depiction of Munich, and varying steeple pewter lids mated to a either a pewter or ceramic dragon head thumblift. Deduct 20% for versions with either Munich lid or the steeple lid. / St. Florian was an officer of the Roman army who, after confessing his Christianity, was scourged, set on fire, and finally thrown into the river Enns with a stone around his neck. His recovered body was eventually removed to the Augustinian Abbey of St. Florian, near Linz. St. Florian is regarded as the patron of firefighters and is invoked as a protector from danger of fire. The 'second extinguishing' in the text is a reference to the ability of beer to extinguish thirst." (https://www.beerstein.net/item.asp?ItemNum=vbm-1786)
According to Therese Thomas, "Otto Hupp was not only a heraldist, he was an engraver too, a publicity designer, a ceramist; he designed book-bindings, postage stamps, and bank notes. This is just a brief view of his great talent and of his artistical activity. What is especially important for beer stein collectors and Mettlach fans is that he designed ceramics and that he worked for different breweries and vineyards. When he was only 25 years old, in 1884, he created a trademark that is still used today by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu in Munich. Almost all stein collectors have seen that sign on coasters and glasses in German pubs. The emblem has existed for over one hundred years now and gives proof that Otto Hupp was really an excellent artist." (Therese Thomas, "The Artistic Contribution of Otto Hupp to the Manufacture of Stoneware in Mettlach" - https://www.beerstein.net/articles/s9409.htm
The Mettlach factor is located on the Saar River in western Germany, close to borders with Luxembourg and France, and housed on the grounds of a former Benedictine Abbey that dates to the 10th century. Interestingly, Johann Franz Boch-Buschmann founded this factory on this site in 1809, and the Villeroy & Boch company resulted from a merger with Nicolas Villeroy in 1836.
Provenance: private Long Island, New York, USA collection
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#147460
Condition
Excellent. Mettlach seal on the underside of the base with series number and date. Pewter mounting and thumb lift is intact and shows nice patina. Details are very strong.