Description: Presented is a very impressive and beautiful old German beer stein manufactured in the region of Thuringia - an old German state located in central Germany, - in 1782 or a little earlier. More specifically, this stein was attributed to Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia.

Made of faience with very colorful hand-painted decorations that traditionally are associated with Thuringia factories. The decorations consist of a lovely scene depicting some buildings viewed through the trees and bushes. This type of painting, done with a thick brush is typical for Erfurt and most likely for the artist-decorator who signed the bottom with his initial "V".

Nice pewter lid with a lip ring and a large hollow ball for the thumblift. The lid is engraved with initials "C.D.R." and "M.F.", and dated 1782. There is also a massive foot ring. The inside of the lid is marked with the pewterer's hallmarks. They belong to Johann Gottfried Rothe, a master pewterer in the town of Leipzig in Saxony (about 90 miles from Erfurt) in the mid-1700s.

There is a "V" mark on the bottom of the stein - it belongs to an Erfurt artist who has decorated many of their steins.

The stein is in a great condition for a faience this old. There is no cracks, chips. There are some faint lines hardly visible at the bottom that don't go all the way to the inside.

This is a superb condition for a beer stein that is almost 300 years old - and with an interesting subject matter!

It is 10" tall to the top of the thumblift, 1L capacity.