The Münchner-Kindl and Schützenliesel

By Steve Breuning

Two of the most iconic characters in the history of Munich, as well as in the decoration and illustration of beer steins, are the Münchner-Kindl and Schützenliesel. Both, of these characters are easily found on steins but rarely are seen together. That is what caught my attention about this stein.

This is a 0.5 L porcelain stein made around 1900. It is 8 1/2 inches tall at the top of the thumb lift with a slightly recessed base. It has a 3 inch mouth opening. The bottom is unmarked but it was probably manufactured by Ernst Dorfner & Co. who manufactured in Bavaria between 1889 and 1913.

The Münchner-Kindl and the Schützenliesel can be seen arm-in-arm on the front of the stein. The stein has an ornamental pewter lid and a Lyre as its thumblift. The stein also has a lithophane of a Bavarian couple sitting at a table. This scene is reminiscent of one by Franz von Defregger. However, this exact scene I could not find in any of the reference books I have on Defregger. Adolf Eberle (1843-1914) also painted similar scenes but again I found no exact match.

One final thing that fascinates me about the Schützenliesel is its real life accuracy. She was originally painted by the portrait painter, Friederich A. von Kaulbach, (1850-1920). Colleta Moritz (1859-1920), yes a real young lady, posed as his model. He certainly captured her perfectly.

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