A.J. Maerz’s Bock Beer, dated 1879, turns a familiar beverage emblem into an exuberant comic performance. At the centre, a shaggy goat rises on its hind legs, balancing an overflowing beer mug in each foreleg as though presenting a toast. Warm browns, glowing orange and pale yellow concentrate attention on the animal, while the emphatic words “Bock Beer” stretch across the lower edge in a heavy decorative serif. The design is immediate and theatrical: mascot, product and slogan can all be grasped at a glance.

The goat is more than an amusing figure. “Bock” is both the name of a strong beer style associated with the German brewing tradition and the German word for a male goat, making the animal a long-established visual pun in beer advertising. Maerz’s poster belongs to a period when chromolithography was giving nineteenth-century commercial graphics an increasingly vivid public presence. Brewers could build recognisable identities through colour, typography and memorable characters, transforming a straightforward notice into an image with its own humour and visual personality.

A closer look

The goat dominates the narrow vertical composition, its upright body creating a strong central axis. Fine, dark strokes articulate the coarse fur along its chest, limbs and face, while lighter highlights give the figure surprising volume against the softer background. Its sideways glance and poised stance lend it the self-possession of a seasoned performer. The two mugs provide a neat visual balance: their pale, foaming tops sit on either side of the animal, catching the eye amid the deeper russet and brown tones.

Behind this sharply described foreground figure, the setting becomes more elusive. A curved railing encloses what appears to be a circular arena, with loosely defined spectators gathered beyond it. Their softened outlines suggest a lively audience without competing with the principal character. The arc of the enclosure also answers the goat’s rounded torso and raised limbs, keeping the eye moving around the central action rather than allowing the figure to appear static.

Typography anchors the scene. The broad, block-like letters at the foot of the poster have a weight comparable to the goat itself, forming a firm base beneath the animated illustration. Orange-brown lettering against a light cream ground maintains the warm palette while remaining forceful enough for an advertisement. Small credit text sits unobtrusively near the bottom, in marked contrast to the expansive product name above it. Across the lighter areas, irregular marks and faded yellow tones contribute to the surviving image’s unmistakably nineteenth-century character.

Context and significance

Bock Beer demonstrates how effectively late Victorian trade imagery could combine direct communication with decorative invention. Chromolithography enabled advertisers to work with richer, more attention-catching colour than many earlier commercial prints, while illustrated mascots gave products an identity that could be understood even before the wording was read. Here, the visual joke operates with particular economy: the goat identifies the beer, animates the composition and provides the poster’s comic spectacle.

The result is both an advertisement and a concise example of nineteenth-century popular graphic culture. Its appeal lies in the contrast between precise foreground detail and the hazier bustle behind, as well as in the confident marriage of picture and lettering. Maerz’s beer-bearing goat remains memorable because the design never overcomplicates its message; it converts a linguistic pun into a bold, convivial character.

Choosing the right size and finish

Artwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.

If you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, ask our workshop for advice.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

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Framed art prints use crystal-clear optical acrylic for excellent clarity, lower weight and safer delivery than glass. Each piece arrives professionally framed and ready to hang.

Selected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and specialist framing are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, contact our workshop.

This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.