Schütz Blansko

The Schütz Blansko manufactory played a significant role in the history of Czech ceramic manufacturing. The factory operated at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Their products were primarily made using the majolica technique and represented high quality in the ceramic market. The manufactory was famous for its hand-painted, richly colored, and detailed decorations, which are beautiful examples of the period's applied arts.

They were made in pairs, approximately 60 cm tall, monumental majolica jugs. On the body, oval, relief medallions highlighted in white depict mythological scenes (nymphs and putti), modeled on a light background, set into cobalt blue fields. Ornamental motifs with leafy-vine patterns, glazed in a bronzed-brown color, run around the shoulder and the base slope, occasionally accented with cabochon-like, polychrome 'gem' decorations. A frieze of white putti appears on a blue background around the neck. The bearded masks applied on either side and the spiraled, leafy handle enhance the classicizing-Bacchic atmosphere. The lip, with a slanted edge, is closed off by a tin-banded, lift-up lid, which showcases the typical mixed-material usage of the era. In the brushwork, the glazes provide a full, glass-like, shiny surface; the relief is finely modeled. At the bottom, there is a pressed mark: 'SCHÜTZ BLANSKO', as well as shape numbers (430/431).