Tankard with a biblical scene

The body of the beer stein is double-layered. The smooth cylindrical container is covered by a coat with a repoussé decoration depicting the Queen of Sheba before King Solomon. The queen’s large retinue can be seen against a sketched landscape. The narrative runs from the right side of the handle, following the biblical description in the First Book of Kings (1 Kings 10:1–10). We can see the retinue of the queen’s courtiers, men in antique-like armour, women carrying gifts, camels and a kneeling Queen of Sheba paying tribute to Solomon. The King of Israel sits on a throne, which can be ascended by stairs decorated with rows of lions sitting on the steps. Behind Solomon’s throne are two courtiers in antique-like robes. Friedrich I Schwestermüller (1647–1701) 1680–1685, Augsburg Jagiellonian University Museum Collegium Maius Inventory number: 8739; 4389/IV https://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/objects-list/2777