Heinrich Schlitt

Heinrich Schlitt (August 21, 1849 – November 13, 1923) was a German painter and illustrator, known for his fantasy motifs that feature gnomes, dwarves, and faeries. He was one of the in-house artists at the Villeroy & Boch ceramic company in Mettlach, Saarland, and his designs for their beer steins remain popular with collectors to this day.[1][2]

Early life

Schlitt was born in Wiesbaden in the Duchy of Nassau, what would now be in the modern day German state of Hesse.[1] His father was a member of the court of the Duke of Nassau, working as a coachman.[3][4] After the Prussian annexation of the Duchy, Schlitt joined the Dutch military, a choice thought to be the result of the Schlitt family moving to the Netherlands with the rest of the exiled Duchy.[4]

Schlitt was a student of Kaspar Kögler at his school in Wiesbaden.[1] In 1875, he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich under Wilhelm Lindenschmit the Younger.[1][4] He exhibited his works at exhibitions put on by the Munich Artists' Cooperative.[5][6]

Works

Illustrator

Early in his career, Schlitt first became well known to the public as an illustrator.[1] He produced hundreds of illustrations for a wide array of publications, including books, periodicals, and newspapers such as Die Gartenlaube,[7][8] Das Buch Für Alle,[9] and Illustrirte Zeitung.[3]

  • "The Old Poacher" from Die Gartenlaube, 1887
    "The Old Poacher" from Die Gartenlaube, 1887
  • "Madame Pompadour and Marquis Posa at the masquerade ball" from Die Gartenlaube, 1890
    "Madame Pompadour and Marquis Posa at the masquerade ball" from Die Gartenlaube, 1890
  • "Madame Pompadour and Marquis Posa the next morning" from Die Gartenlaube, 1890
    "Madame Pompadour and Marquis Posa the next morning" from Die Gartenlaube, 1890

Ratskeller of the Munich New Town Hall

In 1905, Schlitt was selected by architect Georg von Hauberrisser to paint the ceilings of the Ratskeller at the New Town Hall in Munich.[10][11] The paintings were originally intended to adorn the walls of the St. Johann Town Hall ratskeller, but after disputes between the municipal administration of St. Johann and Schlitt regarding payment for the works, Schlitt withdrew from the project and instead used the concepts for the paintings in the Munich Ratskeller.[12] The paintings are considered to be some of his finest works.[1]

  • Vault painting
    Vault painting
  • Detail of the vault painting
    Detail of the vault painting
  • When wine and beers are fighting ..., Wall painting in the Ratskeller
    When wine and beers are fighting ..., Wall painting in the Ratskeller

Villeroy & Boch

Heinrich Schlitt was one of the principal in-house artists at Villeroy & Boch, a German ceramics manufacturer based in Mettlach. His work for the company is prominently featured on beer steins that they produced during the period, which are well known and held in renown amongst modern-day collectors of steins and ceramics.[1][13]

  • Stoneware design by Schlitt, produced by Villeroy & Boch
    Stoneware design by Schlitt, produced by Villeroy & Boch

References
  1. Maethner, Arthur; Vogdes, Walt (March 2000). "Heinrich Schlitt Remembered". Prosit. Archived from the original on 2020-01-28.
  2. "Das Mettlach-Buch - Heinrich Schlitt (1849-1923)". Das Mettlach-Buch (in German). Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  3. Schmoll gen. Eisenwerth, Josef Adolf [in German]; Thomas, Thérèse (1990). Heinrich Schlitt (1849 – 1923). Mettlach: Villeroy & Boch.
  4. 03155 Heinrich Schlitt. 1884. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. Münchener Jahres-ausstellung. Munich: Franz Hanfstaengl. 1894. p. 41.
  6. Münchener Jahres-Ausstellung Glaspalast. Munich: Münchner Künstlergenossenschaft. 1903. p. 95.
  7. "Der Porträtmaler". Die Neue Gartenlaube. 16 January 1900. p. 601.
  8. "LARGE METTLACH BEER STEIN #2261 Sign Schlitt 2.25 Liter | #136265256". Worthpoint. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  9. NN (1919). "Das Buch für alle: illustrierte Blätter zur Unterhaltung und Belehrung für die Familie und Jedermann (54.1919)". Heidelberg University Library. doi:10.11588/diglit.44086.2. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  10. "Der Münchner Ratskeller und seine Geschichte". ratskeller.de (in German). Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  11. Huber, Brigitte (2006). Das Neue Rathaus in München, Georg von Hauberrisser (1841–1922) und sein Hauptwerk (in German). Ebenhausen bei München. pp. 112–113.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. Hellwig, Friedrich. Ratskeller, erste Bewirtung: 27. Januar 1905, erste Verpachtung: 10. April 1909, vollkommende Umgestaltung: 27. April 1963, Saarbrücken 1988. p. 5.
  13. "Beer Stein Article - Introducing Heinrich Schlitt". Beer Stein Library. Archived from the original on 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
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