Design for a Vase, undated

Every object designed by Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956), whether vase, flacon, chalice or candlestick, is characterized by the artist’s meticulously precise but at the same time sensual and playful esthetic awareness with which he ran through forms. Born in the Moravian town of Pirnitz (present-day: Brtnice/Czech Republic), Hoffmann pursued the notion of bettering the world through beauty with obsessive consistency – an idea that was reflected in the concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or universal work of art. Every singly object in the households of his commissioners was to fit in with the greater ensemble, and was to be of the highest artistic quality. This aspiration is palpable in all of Hoffmann’s designs, which show his ability as a confident and exact freehand draftsman. They not only illustrate his masterful handling of antique practices such as fluting, which he often invoked as variations, but also his skill as a formalist. Hoffmann designed his objects as if he were dealing with architecture.

MH, 2023