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This beautiful stein was made by Walter Mueller's factory, which was established in 1853 and closed in 1915. The factory was largely unknown and produced very little. Wilhelm Neidhart, a prominent Jugendstil artist, designed the Jugendstil ware.

The stein is made of gray saltglazed stoneware with cobalt blue glaze - the very traditional Westerwald ware. The main design elements are typical Jugendstil ornaments. These ornaments are very common for Walter Mueller and Neidhart. The stein has no manufacturer's marks, only the model number 139. However, I made the attribution judging by the form, handle shape and design elements. The model number is also consistent with Walter Mueller numbering. Please see the scan of several W.Mueller Jugendstil beer stein from the Jurgen Schimanski book on Jugendstil beer steins.

The lid is pewter, designed in the same Jugendstil manner with a wreath around the lid and on top of the thumblift. It is engraved with a presentation inscription stating it was given as a gift to someone on his 25th anniversary of becoming a priest by his former student friends. 

The stein is in excellent condition with no cracks, chips or repairs. The lid shows some uneven patination.

It is 6" tall to the top of the thumblift, 0.5L capacity.