Bird with Long Neck, c. 1904

Koloman Moser (1868–1918) showed his painterly talent also in the marbled paper technique, which he intently explored from 1900. For this age-old process a shallow tray is filled with oil paints which are then made into patterns or various motifs using a needle or marbling comb. Subsequently, a piece of paper is dipped into the tray to absorb the paint. These papers were either used as endpapers or covers for books, or as autonomous artworks that were signed and dated by the artist. This rediscovered art fit in well with the program of the Wiener Werkstätte which sought to bring exceptional artisanal quality back into daily life.

MTh, 2021