Mettlach Cameo Plaque Depicting Landsknecht Scene (Hugh Collector’s Plate) (Item LAND 2-1 & KSTEIN 2-6)

DESCRIPTION: This is a wonderful cameo plaque with the German mercenary freebooters known as Landsknecht depicted. Always considered the greatest and best of steins, the chargers are even more rare and beautiful. Mettlach is actually a town in Germany where the firm of Villeroy & Boch was founded in 1941. With the merging of three German factories, three  of which had been established in the 18th century, The amalgamated company had its headquarters in Mettlach, Germany, which was the location of what was their most famous factory. The name Mettlach is derived from Latin for “mid-lakes” and in 1936 Nicholas Villeroy and Eugene Boch joined forces and formed a company producing masterpieces of steinware. They used the name of the town as their logo. The produced plates, vases, beer steins, etc., that were all state of the art. They were the largest and most important ceramic enterprise since the 19th century. The very colorful plate that we offer has a diameter of 17 ½” and depicts three of these freebooters gaily celebrating while drinking the “suds.” Beer was the favorite of the Landknecht warriors and they consumed barrels of it between battles. A maid and her little boy dispense the hops and malts to the guzzlers, and across the top is a scroll that says basically “Oh riders, O Landsknecht, every one gladly shares a pint.” The plate was probably produced in the 1870’s and is in great condition with a few slight age cracks. The cracks are in the surface and do not go through. It’s probably not even accurate to call them cracks at all. This is one beautiful art object from Alte Deutschland.

PRICE: $850.00

Mettlach Stein Commemorating Kaiser Wilhelm II (Item LAND 2-2 & KSTEIN 2-7)

DESCRIPTION: This is a very handsome beer stein by the famous Villeroy and Boch (Mettlach firm). Read more about it in the narrative about the plate featured above. The stein has the Mettlach Geslutz (patent) on the bottom with the Mettlach logo of the castle. The number is 1861 (not a date). The design has the picture of the young Emperor depicted in his uniform of the Royal Hussars. At the sides are the laurel leaves with the national colors – black, white, red – running in ribbon form in and out of the leaves. The thumblift is fashioned in the form of a griffen. The stein measures 10” from top to bottom. The colors are vivid and the pewter parts are perfect. A wonderful relic of the better era. Kaiser Wilhelm, where are you now that we need you? Around the edges of the pewter top is an engraved narrative. It basically says: “In memory of the Luisenburg-festspiele 189 to 1892.” A festspiele is a set of games such as football, archery, boating, tennis, etc.

PRICE: $680.00