Vase attributed to Loetz, Austria, c. 1900

Vase attributed to Loetz, Austria, c. 1900.
Iridescent glass; brass mount.
Measurements: 22 x 15 x 15 x 15 cm.

Truncated pyramidal vase made of iridescent glass, with a granulated surface, and brass mouth ornamented with elements of neoclassical character, such as garlands in the corners, grapes and vine leaves.

Johann Loetz Witwe was the leading manufacturer of art glass in Klostermühle, Bohemia, and his creations are among the most notable of the Art Nouveau movement. In Wottawattal was one of the oldest glass factories in the region, acquired in 1850 by Johann Loetz, founder of the company.

In 1879, his grandson Max Ritter von Spaun took over the management of the factory after inheriting it from his grandmother, keeping the original name of the company: "Joh. Lötz Witwe". The plant already had an important milling shop, where intricately cut glass was produced, as well as enameled and Puncture intermittent glass.

Beginning in the 1860s, the company began to develop colored glass, recognized for its purity and intense colors. Initially, this glass was sold as raw material to refineries in northern Bohemia, where it was embellished by painting and polishing. However, the prestige achieved prompted the company to manufacture its own luxury products.

Loetz was a pioneer in Austria in the production of so-called baroque glass, characterized by applied glass decorations. With showrooms in cities such as Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, London, Brussels, Milan and Madrid, its products quickly gained an international reputation. The company mastered the art of imitating precious stones such as onyx, jasper, carnelian, malachite and lapis lazuli, as well as inlaid glass.