German Beer Stein, Brunhilde und Siegfried, Excellent Cond, Signed + Provenance!

Description

Spectacular German Beer Stein, Brunhilde und Siegfried, Excellent Condition, Signed with Provenance!
Stoneware, relief, 0.5L, pewter lid, signed. Crafted between 1890-1915.
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The provenance of German steins can rarely be established, and this stein provides an incredibly rare exception! The stein comes with a note, written on 08 June 1931 by Mr. A.M. Mueller of Winston Salem, North Carolina. He presented the stein as a gift to Mr. J. L. Houston of Roanoke, Virginia. The note is signed by Mr. Mueller, who also provided a translation of the text:
“Bei Scherzen und Lieben werden die Grillen vertrieben.”
Joking and loving will chase away the sorrows.
“Des Lebens Sonnenschein ist Trinken, Singen, Fröhlichsein.”
The sunshine of life is drinking , singing, and merry-making.
The theme of this stein is drawn from ancient legends.
In Icelandic and German mythology, Brunhilde was a strong and beautiful princess who was cruelly deceived by her lover. Her story is told in the Edda poems of Iceland and the Nibelungenlied, a German epic of the 1200s. Her name also appears as Brünhild, Brunhilda, or Brynhild.
In the Icelandic version of the legend, Brunhilde was a Valkyrie—a warrior maiden of the supreme god Odin. Because she was disobedient, Odin punished Brunhilde by causing her to fall into everlasting sleep surrounded by a wall of fire. The hero Sigurd crossed through the flames and woke the maiden with a kiss. They became engaged, but Sigurd left to continue his travels. Later, after receiving a magic potion to make him forget his love for Brunhilde, Sigurd married Gudrun (Kriemhild).
Gudruns brother Gunnar wanted Brunhilde for himself and persuaded Sigurd to help him. Disguising himself as Gunnar, Sigurd pursued Brunhilde. Later Brunhilde realized she had been tricked and arranged to have Sigurd murdered. When she learned of his death, however, she was overcome with grief and committed suicide by throwing herself on his funeral pyre. In that way, she could join him in death.
In the Nibelungenlied, the story was slightly different. Brunhilde declared that the man she would marry must be able to out-perform her in feats of strength and courage. Siegfried (Sigurd), disguised as Gunther (Gunnar), passed the test and won Brunhilde for Gunther. When she discovered the deception, she arranged for Siegfried to be killed. The German composer Richard Wagner based his opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung on these legends.
The stein was made by Anton Killian “Karl” Beuler, between 1890 and 1928, likely in the earlier portion of that time range. You can see the initials KB on the last photo.
Beuler was born in Höhr in 1865 and began his career with the Matthias Girmscheid Company around 1890, where it is believed he was employed for approximately the next 25 years. However, Bueler is also known to have moonlighted as a freelance artist, selling his designs to other manufacturers as well. In addition to his substantial output for Girmscheid, Beuler’s “KB” mark has also been seen on steins produced by J.L. Knoedgen, Gilles & Sohn, A.J. Thewalt, et al.
Beuler’s work is characterized principally by bold deep relief (although there are also a number of known “etched” pieces bearing his signature), outstanding ceramic representation of wood grain and the frequent use of figural ceramic lids. His “KB” signature can be found either incised into the mold or in relief, and sometimes simply painted under the glaze. In this stein, the KB is found in relief below a leave.
While Bueler’s initials on a stein do not necessarily mean that it was produced by Girmscheid, it makes that conclusion far more likely than not.
In summary, the stein was most likely crafted between 1890 and 1915, purchased by or gifted to Mr. Mueller in Germany during that time, brought by Mr. Mueller to the US, where he presented it to Mr. Houston. I purchased the stein on Cape Cod in 1979--what happened to the stein between 1931 and 1979 remains a mystery! The word "Milwaukee" is etched on the top of the stein--there is a large contingent of people of German decent in Milwaukee, but I do not know the significance of the etching.
The stein is in excellent condition with no cracks or chips. There is a small groove on the inner lid--see second to last photo. The lid works well and is tight. The painting is in excellent condition, bright, detailed, and colorful--there is minimal wear and the relief is in excellent condition. The pewter lid is age-appropriately darkened on the exposed exterior and lighter in the interior. Weld marks are visible as antique stein lids were made up of three welded pieces of pewter. The stein is approximately 10.5" high, 4.25" in diameter at the base. It weighs approximately 1 pound,15 ounces.
Overall, this is a rare and fascinating piece of art work, one that will make a fine addition to any collection. It is unusual to know so much about the history of an antique stein--I've been fortunate to have it in my collection for over 40 years, and I hope that it goes to a serious collector that will cherish it for decades as well. Pieces of history like this should be treasured, protected, and appreciated (which is why I try to give detailed backgrounds for the steins I list).
Please note: I currently have several other steins, including beautiful character steins at my ebay store: daddybeanie Books and Collectibles. I've been collecting steins for almost 50 years and am now selling off my collection--expect to see several more listings over the course of this year!
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About me: "daddybeanie" has been my user name since the early days of ebay back in the 1990's. I was (and am) dedicated to my kids, and back in the day I scoured ebay for beanie babies--and travelled from shop to shop, befriending store owners and getting the hot beanie releases of the day. Same with Pokemon cards, Legos, books, coins, Russian nesting dolls, sports memorabilia, and too many other things to count. Eventually kids leave the nest, and I'm now selling off certain items to support new purchases for--you guessed it--grandchildren! As a Dad and a pediatrician, I tend to sprinkle some of my ebay listings with bits of advice for parents--please ignore those if they are not relevant or if you disagree!
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