Wholesale Old Westerwald stoneware beer stein – Cobalt blue incised decoration – Kannenbäckerland – Circa 1950–1970

The Westerwald, nicknamed Kannenbäckerland — literally "the land of the potters" — has been one of the major centers of stoneware pottery in Germany since the 16th century. Its workshops have endured through the centuries, preserving a craft recognized throughout Europe, characterized by the use of salt-gray stoneware and cobalt-blue glazes applied by hand to incised decorations. This tankard is a fine example. Its slightly flared cylindrical body is decorated on each side with a different motif, incised into the clay before firing and then highlighted with cobalt glaze: on one side, a large acanthus leaf with generous volutes; on the other, a stylized flower with radiating petals. A broad cobalt band emphasizes the rim and the base, framing the decoration with elegance. The massive handle, also coated in cobalt glaze, completes the piece’s robust and balanced silhouette. On the bottom, the handwritten inscription "Kannenbäckerland / Burdae" — the Latinized form of Boppard, a Rhineland town — attests to its origin and its roots in the region’s pottery tradition. Interior in unglazed beige stoneware, flat slightly rough base, consistent with artisanal productions of this period. Germany, Westerwald, circa 1950–1970. Height: 13 cm. Good condition.