Lötz Witwe, Loetz - Vase - Rustic Crete - Iridescent glass

Johann Loetz Witwe, Klostermühle, Austria – Art Nouveau vase with decoration ‘Crete Rusticana’ – 1899
‘Rusticana’ is a relatively early decoration from 1899 and a mostly Crete-based vivid green decoration with a corky, bark-like surface.

The vase’s distinct body is shaped as a small flower vase with five openings, here in a fairly sober rendition with a beautiful and completely intact vase rim and nicely faceted pontil. The unique form of this model was registered on 8 June 1899 at the registration office of the Chamber of Trade in Pilsen. This information can be found in the Loetz catalog by Jan Mergl from 2003. The vase is also pictured on page 103 of the book ‘Le Génie Verrier de l’Europe’ by Guiseppe Cappa (Mardaga, 1998) (see photos).

The vase is in very good condition with only minor signs of aging.

The vase is 16 cm high, 15.5 cm wide, and 9 cm deep.

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

Loetz/Loetz was founded in 1840 by Johann Lötz and was a company based in Bohemia 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 for itself; they developed new innovative glass techniques, but also their design and bright colors were completely innovative. They designed special shapes and vases, luxury items, which they sold in luxury shops in Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, London, Milan, Brussels, and Madrid. It quickly made them very well known and famous.

It was the period when Art Nouveau flourished. They used organic forms, nature was their model, often the shapes were formed organically by bending hot glass with tongs into irregular shapes.
Lötz participated in various World Expos, including the famous Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900. They were awarded numerous prizes for their participation in World Expos. Their designs were popular, also in the United States. They were able to make iridescent glass. In short, Lötz had become a household name. And that is still so today.

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, crisper vases were produced more in line with the Art Deco style of that era.

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