Johann Loetz Witwe - Vase - Olympia - Iridescent glass

Johann Lötz Witwe, Klostermühle, Austria – Art Nouveau vase with decor 'Olympia' – 1896-1899
'Olympia' is a relatively early decor from 1896 and was of significant importance for Lötz in the further development of iridescent glass in the Art Nouveau period. Olympia is a softly glowing smooth light-green decor with a matte iridescent surface. Sometimes cabochons or little ears were added or the vase was further painted with a gold drawing.

The body of this vase is executed in Olympia and finished soberly with a green-blue iridescent rim that matches the hot-applied foot. The foot is executed in the green-blue version of the decor Delphi from 1899. Delphi was often used as a substrate for glazed decorations, and here as a matching foot. You can find this information in the Loetz catalog by Jan Mergl from 2003. The vase is also pictured on page 97 of the book 'Le Génie Verrier de l’Europe' by Guiseppe Cappa (Mardaga, 1998).

The vase is in very good condition with only minor age-related signs.

The vase is 20 cm high and the widest diameter is about 11 cm.

Photos are part of the description. Carefully packaged, insured and shipped with a tracking code to your home. We do not ship outside the EU and to (e)i countries with a special customs status.

Loetz/Loetz was founded in 1840 by Johann Lötz and was a Bohemian company that belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1879 a grandson of Lötz, Max Ritter-Von Spaun, took over the business from his grandmother and kept the name Joh. Lötz Witwe.

From that moment Johann Lötz Witwe really began to make a name, they developed new innovative glass techniques, but also their design and vivid colors were completely new. They designed remarkable shapes and vases, luxury items, which they sold in luxury shops in Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, London, Milan, Brussels and Madrid. It made them quickly very well known and famous.

It was the period when Art Nouveau flourished. They used organic shapes, nature was their model, often the shapes were formed organically by bending the hot glass with pliers to make it uneven.
Lötz took part in all kinds of world exhibitions, including the famous World Exposition of 1900 in Paris. They were awarded numerous prizes for participation in world expositions. Their designs were popular, also in the United States. They were able to make iridescent glass. In short, Lötz had become a byword. And that is still the case.

Lötz also worked closely with other glass manufacturers and with various artists, such as Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and other artists of the Wiener Werkstätte. In the twenties, stricter vases were produced, more in line with the Art Deco style of those years.

Lötz existed until 1940; after a bombardment the factory burned down completely. The glass of Lötz remains very popular and is collected worldwide, and their oeuvre is also found in many museum collections.