Loetz "Rüschen mit kugel optisch am Boden", Candia Silberiris, PN II-1350, ca. 1904

In the middle of the shapes in Series II in which the decor "Astartig" is used, there are about a dozen shapes that are executed in a variation called "Rüschen" (translation - "Ruffles"). This monster of a vase stands a shade over 17 inches (43.5 cm) tall. Like its thorny cousin, this piece comes in candia silberiris and features a hand tooled rim, but instead of thorny projections, there are several "ruffles" extruded from the long neck of the vase. This execution must have been quite tricky, and would have to have been done rather quickly. The notes that go with the pattern for this shape say "kugel optisch am Boden" (spherical optic in the bottom part), and this adds another layer of complexity to the vase. Imagine working the body and rim, while blowing into an optic mold to complete the design. The base has the customary ground and polished pontil.

To see more examples of this hard-to-find decor, visit the "Rueschen" decor page on Loetz.com:

http://www.loetz.com/decors-a-z/rueschen