Antique Early German Westerwald Stoneware Beer Stein Floral Motifs circa late 1700s. Description: I continue posting early Westerwald beer steins from the Schlossmuseum collection in Altenburg, Germany. Beer steins made before 1800 are quite rare. Before the Industrial Revolution, production was all manual. Every stein made in the early period was unique, decorated by hand, and rarely replicated. This beautiful stein was made around the 1780s – 1790s. It is made in a very traditional style of grey stoneware with cobalt-blue glaze. This is a very traditional beer-drinking vessel – a type that was produced for centuries, from the mid-1600s to the mid-1800s. The production of saltglazed stoneware beer steins in the Westerwald region of Germany reached the highest quality by the end of the 18th century. The stein is etched with stylized floral motifs all over the body. The decorations are etched into the clay with a sharp instrument. The stein is also glazed with cobalt-blue glaze, fired, and salt-glazed. The decorations are quite intricate and labor-intensive. The lid is pewter with a hollow ball thumblift-this type of thumblift was used throughout the 1700s and the first half of the 1800s. The lid is engraved with the original owner’s initials: F. E” and “19-this is the tavern number. People in old Germany used to keep their own steins in their favorite tavern. The steins were kept upside down with the lids hanging from the shelf, so the numbers allow for a quick find. The inside of the lid is marked with pewter touchmarks. The pewter was made in Saxony by a pewterer with the initials C. The stein is in excellent condition for the age – there are a couple of very minor flakes on the bottom edge, but no chips or cracks, the lid sits tight, and there is no pewter damage or repairs. This is an exceptional condition for such an old piece. The inscriptions on the bottom are the museum notes and inventory numbers. They could be easily removed if needed. The stein is 9.25 tall to the top of the thumblift, 1L capacity. I guarantee the authenticity. Height: 9.25 in. Auctiva offers Free Image Hosting and Editing. Track Page Views With.