Luxury Design, Past & Present
Josef Hoffmann designed a number of significant works of art in the 1920s. These are still considered to be pioneering the discipline of object-design until today. This unusual centrepiece also dates from this particularly creative period. After World War I polished brass was increasingly used due to its distinguishable gold look. The designs of this period reflect the taste of the era and are a testimony to the longing for normality and high-quality design after the terrors of World War I.
The widening shape of the bowl is reminiscent of a stylized calyx. The minimalist design is enhanced by a single decorative element in the form of a thick rope wrapped around the connection between foot and bowl. The alternate flat and grooved surfaces underline the virtues of the material.
Bib.: Archive of the Wiener Werkstätte in the collection of the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna), Inv.Nr. WWF 110-42-5