Johann Loetz Witwe - Flamarion Titania bowl – Franz Hofstätter 1900 - 1910

Johann Loetz (Lötz) Witwe Klostermühle

Glass
8 cm, ø 10 cm
ConditionNear mint
Price on request

Antiques Emporium

• About the artwork
  Manufacturer: Johann Loetz Witwe
  Decor: Flamarion
  Style: Jugendstil
  Material: Molded and free-formed glass, reduced, improved pontil
  Color: Titania – blue with green flames
  Period: 1900 – 1909
  
  Description:
  
  Franz Hofstätter’s work for Johann Loetz Witwe after 1900 is not entirely clear to this day. It occurs sporadically that a designer mentions his name on a design making attributions very difficult to trace. The reason of this could be that the produced glass was not immediately considered as very important art glass and therefor it was not needed to describe everything very detailed.
  
  Our beautiful bowl is of the decor Flamarion and is a variation of the highly successful Titania genre that had been in production since 1905. Flamarion made its appearance in the year 1907 and can be attributed to the designer Franz Hofstätter. This attribution is substantiated by his name entry in the invoice book in the period 1908 – 1911 for the delivery of objects for the Exhibition “Österreichischer Kunstgewerbe” in Vienna 1911 / 1912.
  
  The bowl is blown in light blue glass with silver titania glass threads in a crackle pattern with a decoration of drawn vertical green strips with silver titania threads in a flame pattern.
  
  
  Literature:
  Prestel – Böhmisch Glas 1880 – 1940 Band 1 Werkmonographie. Page 243.
  Hatje Cantz – Lötz, Böhmisch Glas 1880 bis 1940. Page 88.
  
  
• About the artist

  Lötz/Loetz was founded by Johann Lötz in 1840 and was a company based in Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, at the time Lötz belonged to the Empire of Austria-Hungary. 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 on, Johann Lötz Witwe really started to make a name for itself, they developed new innovative glass techniques, but their design and bright colors were also 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 soon made them very well known and famous.

  It was the period that Art Nouveau or as it was called in Germany Jugendstil flourished. They used organic shapes, nature was their example, also for Lötz, they developed beautiful decors, resembling butterfly wings, such as the papillon decor of this vase, often the shapes were formed organically by using tongs to shape the hot glass unevenly , as also flowers are formed. But also an octopus or sea shells were taken as examples for their special vases and decors.

  Lötz participated in all kinds of World Exhibitions, including the famous World Exhibition of 1900 in Paris where they won the Grand Prize. They were awarded numerous prizes for participation in World Exhibitions. Max Ritter von Spaun also received special awards for his contribution to the glass industry, in 1883 he was allowed to use the Imperial eagle in their shield and seal, they were also allowed to use K.K. Put Private Glass Factory in front of their name. In 1889 he also received a knighthood from Franz Josef. But other royal houses were also involved. He received the Belgian Order of Leopold and the honorable French Legion d'Honneur.

  Their designs were popular, also in the United States. Tiffany worked with Lötz on the Favril set. Lötz patented some of their special techniques, such as the one they used to make the Phänomen decor. They were able to make iridescent glass. In short, Lötz had become a household name. And it still is.

  Lötz also worked closely with other glass manufacturers such as J.&L. Lobmeyer and E. Bakolowits Söhne in Vienna and with Argentor. In addition, Lötz worked closely with various artists, such as Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Franz Hofstötter, Michael Powolny and other artists from the Wiener Werkstätte. Michael Powolny was responsible for the much tighter tango vases of the 1920s.

  The First World War and the end of the Austrian Empire meant a difficult period for Lötz.
  Lötz existed until 1940, after a bombing raid the factory was completely burnt down. After WWII, the Czech Republic belonged to the satellite states of the Soviet Union, the factory was nationalized until it was finally closed in 1947.

  Lötz glass is still very popular and is collected worldwide, in addition, their oeuvre can also be found in many museum collections.

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