Pearl-Glass Vase, 1908

The Vienna Kunstschau exhibition, held in 1908, was a major event featuring products of the liberal and applied arts of Viennese Modernism. The Viennese architect and artisan craftsman Otto Prutscher (1880–1949), who was in charge of the Room for an Art Enthusiast, was one of the many artists participating in the presentation. Among the most spectacular exhibits were the pearl glass vases Prutscher had developed with the glass manufactory Johann Lötz Witwe situated in the Bohemian town of Klostermühle (present-day Klášterský Mlýn in Rejštejn, Czech Republic). This special decor was created by adding silver beads or air bubbles to the hot glass, which resulted in a scintillating effect. Prutscher further displayed a series of long-stemmed decorative glasses, known as Stemmed Glasses, which he designed from 1907 for the chandelier manufactory Bakalowits and which were executed by the tradition-steeped Bohemian art glass manufactory Meyr’s Neffe.

MTh, 2021