Loetz "Pensée verlaufend optisch" glass vase, PN III-514, ca. 1920

This Loetz Series III shape came in a wide variety of "Tango" color schemes. It is more commonly found in Ausführung 157, a combination of a bright colored opal glass with contrasting vertical stripes. This is a more unusual color for this form: Pensée verlaufend optisch, or "pansy spreading optical", characterized by the deep purple pansy color spreading out to a clear crystal ground and rib optic texture, as well as a "grainy" surface that can be seen in the detailed photo #2. Although this shape was used as early as 1914-15, this piece dates to 1918 or later, as evidenced by the acid stamped "Czecho-Slovakia" mark within an oval found within the polished pontil.