An antique late 19th and early 20th-century German stoneware beer stein by Mettlach. Tall vessel with a figurative handle and hinged pewter lid. The hand-painted etched body represents a multi-figure scene, Students with Symbols and Coat-of-Arms. Inscriptions in German in the lower part: Gaudeamus igitur juvenes dum sumus, Let us rejoice while we are young. The verse is a quote from a song in Latin entitled De Brevitate Vita, The Brevity of Life, that has been popular among German students since the 13th century. Embossed marks Mettlach VB, Gegen Nachbildung Geschutzt, model no. 2102, 28, 95, hand-painted marks 26 and 19 are on the bottom. Mettlach is a German town known for manufacturing beer steins and tiles at the Villeroy and Boch factories since about 1842. Collectible German Beer Steins, Ceramic Drinkware, Breweriana.