Schütz majolica is not well known in the United States by name but there are very few collectors who have not encountered some of their output. In spite of their excellent craftsmanship, the companys' work has been largely overlooked for over a hundred years. The Schütz potteries have a history that is an interesting and complex one involving two feuding brothers who operated together then separately under connected potteries with similar products under similar names. Among the larger potteries in Bohemia they employed up to 200 workers at their peak.
The pottery was originally established by Peter Eugen Selb and Carl Gustav Lenk in Olomuczany near Blansko—then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but now part of the Czech Republic—along the Morava River in 1849. Purchased in 1852 by Karl Schütz the pottery that was to become Gebrüder Schütz Handelsgesellschaft was expanded and then trusted to his sons Ludwig and Arnold in 1859 for their management. The company took on the trade name Gebrüder Schütz Blansko.
They specialized in kitchenware and decorative hand painted earthenware. In time they expanded to more decorative housewares, brick, stoves and majolica. Around 1870 the company purchased a second facility in Petrovče near Cilli—now Celje—in which they developed finer wares that had them competing, and winning, in major exhibitions throughout central Europe. This second plant took the name of Schütz Cilli.
The brothers Schütz operated the companies together for 31 years under the names Gebrüder Schütz, Schütz Blansko and Schütz Cilli with Arnold managing the main plant in Olomuczany while Ludwig operated the branch plant near Cilli. In 1890 disagreements between the two brothers led to a permanent split with Arnold Schütz remaining in Olomuczany with Schütz Blansko and Ludwig Schütz operating Schütz Cilli in the branch facility at Petrovëc, Liboje.
Eight years after the split between the Schütz brothers, Arnold handed over management of Schütz Blansko to his son-in-law Wilhelm Julinek who sold the property to Oskar Basch. By 1906 the pottery was operating under a partnership including Basch, Emil Mandl and Franz and Wilhelm Julinek. The pottery ceased production of household ceramics and concentrated instead on the production of tile, brick and pipes for construction. The business closed in 1922.
The Schütz Cilli facility in Liboje was first called Filialfabrik für Steingut when it was part of the main plant in Olomuczany then changed names a couple of times—both incorporating Ludwig’s name—until it became Majolika und Steingut Fabric L.R. Schütz in 1904. Ludwig expanded the plant continuing operation of the branch plant after the split, producing a wide range of household wares and majolica until his death in 1907. In 1909 his widow Maria took over the management of the plant, operating it until 1919 when the factory was sold to the Abel family. Maria died in 1946.
The Abel family continued production of pottery in 1920 making different types of ceramics under the name Majolika Celeja using some of the old majolica molds. The company was nationalized in 1946 under the new Czech Republic with the new name Keramična Industrija Liboje.
Marks
There were several marks used by the Schütz factories. Pieces only stamped with the circular mark of a kneeling archer inside a G are often attributed to Gebrüder Schütz (Schütz Brothers) or Schütz Blansko with pieces specifically stamped Gebrüder Schütz considered older. Because of the split between the brothers it is sometimes difficult to date Schütz Blansko or Schütz Cilli pieces to before or after 1890 due to the fact that both marks were in use from 1870 forward until the closing of the companies. To complicate matters the two companies shared each other’s molds so a piece with the same design could be by either Schütz Blansko or Schütz Cilli. In auction listings it is common to see both Schütz Blansko and Schütz Cilli attributed to Gebrüder Schütz. Production numbers impressed on the back of each piece may be a way of identifying the design date but to the best of my knowledge these records have remained in private hands and are not available to the public.
The best way to date pieces made after the split is by the addition of other marks on the base of the ware. Although Schütz Blansko used the archer mark from 1859 to 1906, ware intended for export had to also have the country of origin stamped on the ware after 1890. Schütz Blansko pieces marked Austria or Made in Austria can reliably be attributed to after that date. The same is true for Schütz Cilli which used two marks, one impressed and one ink stamped, both which included country of origin after 1890.
Schütz majolica is usually easy to find though it may not be identified as such. Gebrüder Schütz, Schütz Blansko and Schütz Cilli usually bring similar prices with dealers rarely differentiating between the three. Prices also tend to be reasonable for the most part with only the elaborate hollowware and decorative chargers commanding high prices.
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