Luxury Design, Past & Present
Stylized animal depictions in metal and wood were typical products of the Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien. One of the most popular export articles of the traditional Viennese company were decorative cups and vessels in the shape of birds. In the 1930s already, bird sculptures and vessels in the shape of birds were designed and executed. These captivating objects combine the playful forms of nature with an abstract reduction.
This decorative bowl, made from beaten and nickel-plated brass, shows a strong reduction of form. The two handles, which look like two stylised wings, transform the simple goblet into a birdlike artifact. The quality of the finish, which is characteristic of the Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien, underlines the expressiveness of the design.
marked: "Made in Austria" and "wHw" in the circle
Bib.: cf similar objects in Olga Kronsteiner in Monika Wenzl-Bachmayer (Hrsg.), „Hagenauer – Wiener Moderne und Neue Sachlichkeit“, Ausstellungskatalog, Wien Monika Wenzl-Bachmayer (Hrsg.) 2011, Olga Kronsteiner, p. 41-43