Vintage Bock Beer Poster by Emil Rothengatter, 1875

Emil Rothengatter’s Bock, created in 1875, turns a beer advertisement into an exuberant tavern comedy. At its centre, an imposing billy goat rises upright upon a barrel boldly marked “BOCK”, flourishing two brimming mugs as though proposing a toast. The animal’s shaggy coat, curling horns and sharply modelled face are observed with considerable care, yet its human posture and sociable expression make the scene unmistakably playful. Around this unlikely master of ceremonies, servers, drinkers, barrels and glassware crowd into a richly detailed celebration.

The design draws upon a particularly apt piece of visual wordplay: Bock is both the name of a German beer style and the German word for a male goat. That pun has long made the goat a natural emblem for the drink, but Rothengatter develops it into a complete theatrical performance rather than a simple trademark. A German artist known for animal subjects, he brings the clarity and close observation associated with nineteenth-century natural-history illustration into the more humorous world of commercial graphic art. Anatomical detail lends the central creature credibility, while caricature gives it character.

A closer look

The composition is organised around the dark vertical mass of the goat, whose raised body dominates the foreground. Browns and warm golds describe its fur and the wooden staves of the barrel, while pale highlights catch the rims of mugs and glasses. Fine hatching thickens around the coat, horns and clothing, producing a crisp sense of texture. Green foliage and floral decorations entwined near the goat introduce a livelier accent among the prevailing earth tones.

Below, the festivities continue on a more human scale. A waistcoated bartender pours beer with studied concentration, while another figure at the lower left carries a platter crowded with glasses. These small diagonals—the tipped vessel, extended tray and raised drinking arms—keep the scene in motion. Behind them, a compact gathering of men and women converse and lift their drinks, their varied expressions turning the background into a chorus of amusement rather than an anonymous crowd.

On the right, a seated woman wears an elaborate costume patterned with stars and stripes; an eagle rests beside her, adding a conspicuously patriotic note to the tavern spectacle. Her composed pose contrasts with the bustling service below and the goat’s expansive gesture above. Even the vessels contribute to the visual wit: mugs appear at different angles, with bright glints along their surfaces, while the barrel’s grain and bindings are rendered with almost demonstrative precision. A curving ribbon-like form at the top and a restrained ornamental border complete the poster’s decorative framework.

Context and significance

Bock belongs to a period when advertising increasingly relied upon memorable characters, humour and dense pictorial storytelling. Rothengatter’s design does more than identify a beverage: it constructs an entire social world around it, full of conviviality, spectacle and recognisable symbols. The goat functions simultaneously as animal study, mascot and comic actor—a combination made persuasive by the artist’s attention to bodily structure and surface detail.

The result sits engagingly between natural-history observation and commercial fantasy. Its appeal lies in that tension: the central animal is rendered carefully enough to seem substantial, yet behaves with all the confidence of a seasoned tavern host. Nearly every corner contributes another incident, making Bock a work whose humour grows richer the longer one looks.

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 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this art print.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, or one considered visual detail. See examples of personalised artwork.

Choose Original to retain the colour and character of the source artwork, or Aged for a warmer, more antique appearance. See examples of our Aged artwork.

Every piece is produced to archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte art paper. Choose an art print, framed art print or framed canvas using the finish options above.

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.