Posted 10 years ago
bohemiangl…
(641 items)
*Johann Lötz Witwe, Klostermühle
Form and decoration : ca. 1892
Marked - III/115 in brown ink on the bottom
H. 20.5 cm (about 8")
White opal glass, purple flashed spreading from the top . Mold-blown , flat rim and bottom . Painted decor with violet and opaque white enamel, brown flat color and burnished gold - flowering sakura (Japanese cherry blossom) branches. A vase in this exact decor was part of the collection exhibited by Loetz at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.(1) Japanese decorative motifs were among the most important and most successful artistic elements of glass painting in Klostermühle(2).
The vase belongs to the same group of decors as yellowish red ( Persica ) or heliotrope (Pavonia) shaded glass, which attracted attention in Chicago (see Vogel, see also Lötz (Band I) , 1989, Cat.No. 15). -Me . I do not know if this decor has its own name, though. I purchased this vase (being sold as Webb) at an antiques show in Virginia this weekend. I particularly liked the Loetz connection to the Chicago World's Fair.
*The information in this article, including the footnotes below, come from Das Böhmisches Glas, Band III (plate 143), loosely translated by me.
(1) Bancroft , H. H. : The Book of the Fair Chicago. San Francisco, 1893 , Figure P 203).
(2)Vogel, Karel :
Zpráva o svetove vystave v Chicagu 1893 [Be -
nefit of the World's Fair in Chicago
1893 ] . Pilsen 1894 , p 56
Not sure I'd put this in the same category as Persica, which is a stained or coated glass (it's base is clear), or heliotrope, which is an iridescent glass.
As it's basically a Victorian dye away satin glass, I would compare it more to something along the line of Alpengruen or Alpenrot, both also a shaded satin glass (albeit with colored cased interior) that were also made for the 1893 Columbian Exhibition/Chicago Worlds Fair.
There are also Loetz satin glass pieces in apricot and rose (in the same shape and decor as yours), and some bi-color pieces as well. There's a lot of work to be done on the often ignored pre-1900 non-iridescent production of Loetz.
I follow you, Brian, and I don't disagree - I'm just basically quoting Das Böhmisches Glas, here, which is (coming up on 20 year) old information. I also feel like there must have been a name given to this decor that we just haven't found yet.
Yeah I'm sure these probably all had different names. That's a great piece too by the way! The gold at the top looks perfect, usually these seem to have a fair amount of wear, nice find.
Thanks - it has survived remarkably well, and at 8" across, it has no small footprint!
Hi Warren
Great find !
Has obviously been treasured for every day of it's 120+ years ... Let us know if it is taking up too much space ... :-)
Cheers
Btw ... 1808 should be pre 1890 ??? ... Though it is larger than that particular design ...
Thanks, Steve - if I get tired of it, I'll surely let you know :)
Remember that Loetz forms were used in some cases for many years past their introduction dates. Still, that doesn't preclude there being an identical shape that just didn't make it into the Musterschnitte. :)
Hi Warren
My thinking is that the designs we have left are working pieces ... they were taken out and reused every time an order came in ... presumably they were replaced when they wore out ... Up to a point ... Or perhaps they were lost in the fires ...
It does appear that a master book of designs was created around 1898 ... and updated annually in 1900, 1901 .. and this methodology was employed for a few years thereafter ...
Show that Max Ritter Von Spaun was fairly methodological in his approach to managing production ... and design ...
My question is whether this approach dates from 1879 or 1888 ... Where the design numbering is generally thought to star ...
Think the main take home message is that the documentation of decors on many of the earlier designs reflects there last use (or reincarnation) rather than their first ...
As always I am interested in your thoughts ...
This is so sweet.
Warren, I am loving this vase for some reason :)))