Plant Stand

The structural clarity and simplicity of this plant stand epitomize the modern aesthetic espoused by its maker Koloman Moser, who in 1903 co-founded the progressive Wiener Werkstätte (Viennese Workshop). In his effort to define a new Viennese style, Moser took an extreme approach, reducing designs for architecture, interiors, and furnishings to their ultimate purity. Metal baskets, containers, and desk accessories made of geometric forms with various surface treatments figured prominently among his designs. Latticework, called Gitterwerk, enlivened many of his earliest pieces, including this plant stand. Made from sheet metal, the stand's entire surface is perforated with a rigid "lattice" pattern of squares in an elegant fusion of form and decoration. Fifty-six of these plant stands were made between 1904 and 1911.