Loetz Advisory Group members tour Glasmuseum Passau and the Pavilion Skla (PASK) in Klatovy
The week of October 6-12, 2018 was a very exciting one for members of the Loetz Advisory Group, who met as a group in person for the first time in Passau, Germany for a week of vacationing, collaboration, and research. Present for the week’s activities were were Loetz.com co-founders Deb Fitzsimmons (and husband, Bill) and Tony Ellery (and wife, Judith). Also present were group members Warren Gallé (and wife, Anita), Kai Hasselbach, Andy Jelčić and Toby Sharp. Advisory group member Dave Littlefield did not make the trip, but one evening he was able to speak to the group via Facetime.
Peter Höltl, CEO of Rotel Tours and owner of the beautiful Glasmuseum Passau and the Hotel Wilder Mann, was a wonderful host, and he spent much of his time during the week accompanying the group as we went through the museum several times, making notes and discussing attribution of certain pieces in the collection. Florian and Nico Kolhammer of the Vienna gallery Kunsthandel Kolhammer also joined us for dinner and several hours in the museum while Mr. Höltl generously allowed us to inspect and photograph selected pieces outside the vitrines.
On Tuesday, part of the group took a day excursion into Klatovy in the Czech Republic to visit the Pavilion Skla (PASK), and the excellent collection of Loetz glass there. There, we were met by the curator, Jitka Lněničková, and the owner of the loaned pieces of Loetz on exhibition at the PASK, Erich Lichtenwörther, and also by private collector (and creator of the website bohemianglass.org) Aleš Král and his assistant from Prague. As a special surprise, we were also greeted in the town square by the Deputy Mayor of Klatovy, Václav Chroust. The group then had a nice lunch nearby before returning to Passau.
On Wednesday, we were honored to be joined by PhDr. Jan Mergl, Deputy Director of the West Bohemian Museum in Pilsen, co-author of the ‘Loetz-Bible’ (published in 1989) and author of several important works on Bohemian glass. Peter Höltl, accompanied by his wife Christina, also joined us and we were once again able to inspect several pieces outside the vitrines, make comments and ask questions, and photograph the glass from all angles.
Before wrapping up a wonderful week of glass tourism and research, the Loetz Advisory Group held a meeting to discuss our mission and future plans for Loetz.com. Items on the agenda included a museum outreach program, ideas for site funding, spreading the workload for site editing, and ideas for future content.
We came away excited for the future of Loetz.com, and looking forward to the time when we can next all be together. A huge “thank you” to Jitka Lněničková and the staff at the PASK for such a warm welcome. Extra special thanks to Peter Höltl and his staff for making us feel so welcome at the Hotel Wilder Mann and taking such good care of us while we were in Passau. Until next time…
Deb Fitzsimmons
Tony Ellery
Loetz.com
L to R: Bill Fitzsimmons, Warren Gallé, Peter Höltl, Christina Höltl, Jan Mergl, Kai Hasselbach, Tony Ellery, Andy Jelčić, Deb Fitzsimmons, Judith Ellery
L to R: Deb Fitzsimmons, Nico Kolhammer, Kai Hasselbach, Andy Jelčić, Warren Gallé, Florian Kolhammer, Anita Gallé
Massive vases at the PGM with Kai Hasselbach and Bill Fitzsimmons (6'1")
Andy Jelčić, Deb Fitzsimmons
Andy Jelčić, Florian Kolhammer
Florian Kolhammer, Nico Kolhammer, Warren Gallé
Kai Hasselbach, Deb Fitzsimmons
Kai Hasselbach, Warren Gallé
Warren Gallé, Peter Höltl
L to R: Kai Hasselbach, Deb Fitzsimmons, Warren Gallé, Anita Gallé, Andy Jelčić, Erich Lichtenwörther
L to R: Anita Gallé, Warren Gallé, Bill Fitzsimmons, Deb Fitzsimmons, Erich Lichtenwörther, Andy Jelčić, Kai Hasselbach, Aleš Král, Jitka Lněničková
Warren Gallé, Erich Lichtenwörther, Andy Jelčić
Kai Hasselbach, Jitka Lněničková
Kai Hasselbach, Jitka Lněničková
Bill Fitzsimmons, Andy Jelčić, Václav Chroust, Kai Hasselbach
Tony Ellery, Jan Mergl, Judith Ellery, Peter Höltl, Kai Hasselbach
PhDr. Jan Mergl
Jan Mergl, Peter Höltl
