Moritz Ulffers’ Cerevisiam bibunt homines animalia cetera fontes, published in 1876, turns beer advertising into an elaborate courtly tableau. Beneath a Gothic arch, a crowned king sits enthroned with a glass in hand while an attendant raises a tray beside him. Saturated reds, glowing golds and touches of green give the scene a ceremonial richness, its mock grandeur sharpened by the Latin motto overhead: roughly, ‘Men drink beer; all other creatures drink from springs.’

Ulffers was a German artist active during the nineteenth century, when illustrated commercial prints frequently drew upon historical costume, literary quotation and visual comedy. Here, the elevated language and medievalising setting transform an everyday drink into the privilege of cultivated humanity. Yet the claim is knowingly extravagant: the poster’s humour depends upon treating beer drinking as though it were a defining achievement of civilisation. The name printed below—‘H. Clausen & Son Brewers, New York’—returns this theatrical fantasy to its commercial purpose.

A closer look

The king occupies the left of the composition, his crown and richly patterned robes catching the strongest gold highlights. His throne is weighty and architectural, grounding the figure within a setting of pointed arches and dense ornament. A pale area around his head further separates him from the darker masonry behind, heightening the staged majesty of his pose. The beer itself is held almost like an emblem of office: conspicuous, carefully presented and central to the poster’s joke.

To the right, the standing attendant introduces movement into an otherwise formal arrangement. The long, flowing garment forms a vertical counterpoint to the seated monarch, while the uplifted tray creates a second focal point above the figures’ heads. Leaves arranged around the vessel are described with unexpectedly fine detail, their visible veins contrasting with the smoother expanse of the tray. This combination of crisp contour and ornate surface keeps the eye moving between costume, foliage, metalwork and drink.

Smaller figures appear near the lower edges: a historically dressed, soldier-like observer at the left and a hat-wearing figure at the right. Their presence makes the central presentation feel public and ceremonial rather than private. Behind them, checkerboard floor tiles recede towards the throne, lending depth to the compressed stage-like space. Gargoyle-like forms and carved details inhabit the upper arch, while a decorative border encloses the whole design. Cooler greys and muted greens in the architecture prevent the dominant scarlet and gold from becoming visually overwhelming.

Context and significance

The poster belongs to a period in which advertising increasingly relied upon memorable images rather than plain announcements. Ulffers’ design does not merely identify a brewery; it constructs a compact visual argument through quotation, costume and caricatured splendour. Latin supplies an air of inherited wisdom, Gothic architecture suggests an imagined historical authority, and the enthroned drinker gives the product a suitably theatrical advocate. The brewery name, set prominently at the foot of the scene, completes the transition from proverb to promotion.

What distinguishes the work is the precision with which it balances ornament and wit. The eye may first register a stately royal scene, but the solemnity quickly gives way to comic exaggeration: crown, throne and attendant have all been recruited in praise of a glass of beer. That tension between elevated presentation and ordinary pleasure gives Ulffers’ 1876 design its enduring visual character.

Choosing the right size and finish

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

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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.