Glasfabrik Schliersee water pitcher, PN 17 (Regenhütte), ca. 1910

This decor was thought to be Loetz for a long time, but research has determined that it is a rare decor by the Bavarian Glasfabrik Schliersee, the sister glass works of Steigerwald's Regenhütte. In operation for only ten years, this operation made stunning iridescent glass on a par with the best Bohemian makers. The best resource for researching this glass is the book Gläserner Jugendstil Aus Bayern (Art Nouveau Glass from Bavaria), by Christiane Sellner. Although this shape does not appear in the scans of the drawings from the Schliersee sales books (where many other shapes have been previously matched to this decor), the shape number 17 IS shown in the sales book drawings of Regenhütte (see last photo). This is not surprising, as the affiliated glass works undoubtedly shared certain designs and shapes.

The citron yellow ground is overlaid on the bottom half in a swirl of dark blue-green, yellow, and red, with an outer layer of iridescent uranium glass (see black light photo). Fire polished rim and beautifully ground and polished pontil. I was fortunate enough to acquire this one from a set of two that was found by a friend and fellow collector. It is a sturdy piece, at 8" tall, 6" wide, and weight of nearly two pounds.