Born into a modest family where his father worked as a traveling horse trader in the Sumava region, Bernhard Bloch received his education in a traditional Jewish school (cheder) before finding employment with a shipping company in Karlovy Vary. This region, rich in kaolin needed for porcelain production, was naturally home to a significant ceramics industry. By delivering raw materials to local factories, he became familiar with this sector.
After marrying Jenny Koretz from Volduchy near Rokycany, he acquired a ceramics factory in Uncin (located between Teplice and Usti nad Labem) in 1871 with his wife's dowry, his personal savings, and a loan from his employer. The already prosperous business continued to expand under his leadership.
His factory specialized in household items and decorative majolica objects, but was particularly distinguished by his tobacco jars and figurines with very refined designs, such as the famous jar representing President Paul Kruger of the Republic of South Africa around 1900. In 1885, he expanded his activities by opening a second factory in Eichwald in Bohemia, dedicated to the manufacture of tiles.
A contemporary of Goldscheider, Bloch participated in numerous exhibitions, where his creations were consistently awarded prizes. The Regional Museum in Téplice now houses a large collection of his works. After his death, the company changed its name to Eichwald Porcelain in 1920, before being seized by the Nazis and merging after the war with Royal Dux, then Carlsbad in 1957.
