West German Musical Beer Stein, Mid-20th Century

A traditional West German musical beer stein crafted from glazed stoneware with a deep cobalt blue ground. The main body features a high-relief moulded central scene depicting three men in traditional Bavarian attire, including lederhosen and feathered hats, gathered around a barrel while drinking. The upper and lower borders are accented with decorative raised banding, while the base displays a contrasting white relief pattern of edelweiss flowers and scrolling vines. The vessel is fitted with an ornate, conical pewter lid featuring intricate relief-moulded floral and foliate patterns and a standard thumb-lift. The underside houses a mechanical, wind-up musical movement with a metal baseplate and winding key, designed to play a traditional folk tune when the stein is lifted. The interior of the lid is stamped with the “DBGM” mark (Deutsches Bundes-Gebrauchsmuster), identifying this as a West German design registration dating between the 1950s and 1980s. Height approx. 26cm.