Cube-Shaped Vases with Blue Decor, 1900

These two cube-shaped vases represent a typical product of the company Joh. Lötz Witwe. Founded in 1850 in Bohemia, the factory produced premium-quality glass around 1900 which corresponded to the new tastes of Jugendstil. The renowned glass factory executed designs by the likes of Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956) and Koloman Moser (1868–1918). Lötz cooperated with the Wiener Werkstätte and other renowned companies, such as J. & L. Lobmeyr, E. Bakalowits Söhne and the Argentor works. The shape and decor of the objects could be made to order. This cube-shape was designed by the architect Leopold Bauer (1872–1938), a student of Otto Wagner’s (1841–1918). Glass works produced by Lötz became famous especially on account of their iridescent surface decor – such as the opal white decor in this work by the name of “Zephir”. The glasses’ cobalt blue “stripes and dots” decoration was designed by Koloman Moser. This combination of cube-shape and blue decor on opalescent ground generates a fascinating overall effect in keeping with Secessionism.

MR, 2023