Vase

Koloman Moser was among the progressive artists, designers, and architects practicing in Vienna at the turn-of-the 20th century. Trained as a graphic designer, he became a prolific artist whose work encompassed furniture, silver, textiles, and jewelry designs. Together, he and Josef Hoffmann founded the influential Wiener Werkstätte in 1903. This rectangular-shaped vase was created during a transitional period in Moser's work, when he shifted from using predominantly naturalistic motifs to geometric patterning that included the black and white square grids for which he became known. The vase successfully integrates both styles - a geometric form realized in brilliant cobalt blue glass decorated with an overall surface pattern in iridescent Papillon glass. The vase was produced at Glasfabrik Johann Loetz Witwe, known for its vast variety of glass wares that often incorporated newly developed techniques and metallic and luster finishes patented by the firm. Loetz's Papillon wares were launched in 1899. (C. McCarty, from Collections Committee minutes, December 6, 2000)