Description: This beautiful Mettlach beer stein mold number 24 was manufactured by Villeroy and Boch in the early 1890s. The exceptionally crafted ceramics art object consists of beige clay body with applied dark red background with gray decorative elements and applied white relief figures - a very complex and labor-intensive technique.

The four relief panels show Medieval hunters with crossbows - drinking, flirting, hunting and finally meeting Death. The text atop of the panels reads:

“Kein größer Gut als froher Muth.”
(There is no greater possession than a happy disposition.)
“Nach Hetzen u. Jagen, ein Trunk mit Behagen.”
(After chasing and shooting, a drink is a pleasure.)
“Das Küssen in Ehren, dem Jäger nicht zu wehren.”
(An honorable kiss cannot be refused the hunter.)
“Uns schenkt Gott einen sanften Tod”
(God blesses us with a gentle death.)

This is one of the earliest and most popular of Mettlach steins. It was made by Mettlach in many different variations - with different types of lid, different color schemes, different sizes. This one is a full color half-liter stein with unlaid lid. The finial of the lid is made in the form of a dog's head.

The stein is marked with Mettlach Mercury mark and model number 24. There is no date mark but using the dot system described in G.Kirsner's "The Mettlach Book" we can figure out the year of production as 1893 (three dots starting from the right).

The stein is in excellent flawless condition. 

It is 8" tall to the top of the thumblift, 0.5L capacity.