Decorating colourless and sometimes also blue and green glass vessels with enamelled colours became common in Bohemia and the eastern parts of Germany in the middle of the 16th century. The most popular decorative motifs were coats of arms and different scenes depicting people's life. The pictures were often complemented by a short inscription and the year of production. Enamelled beer beakers, called Humpen, could hold several litres of liquid, so there was plenty of room on their sides even for large depictions. The expensive Humpen were taken good care of and that is why many have survived intact until our times. However, enamelled shards recovered from soil are rare.
