Posted 9 years ago
dlfd911
(134 items)
This Loetz series flew very high in the 80s and at the beginning of the 90s, propelled by the myth that the design was a Wiener Werkstaette commission, designed by Dagobert Peche. I was never able to trace the roots of this fabrication, but it certainly did a lot of harm. After buying them for thousands of dollars, marks, and pounds, collectors, now aware that something was fishy about that attribution, started to dislike them and prices fell, thousands turned into hundreds. But let us look at them with the eyes of an impartial Loetz lover. They can be found, but they are not that common, especially if you are looking for a white or greenish ivory color (possibly Thea), which contrast with the aubergine especially well and host the black flower elegantly. If you add shape and size to your demands (this one is 101/2''), the task is not so easy. And what are they actually?
Everything, meaning the color range, the mode of execution, and a recurring number in shape drawings, speaks in favor of a yet undetermined Ausfuehrung somewhere between 165 and 226, closer to 165. As the (Hosch?) flower appears on designs after 1914 and I have not yet seen an example with the oval mark, it is probably safe to date those to the time of WW I. The now commonly repeated attribution to Hoffmann's student Hans Bolek (compare the green documented box, thank you Warren both for the photo and this marvellous object) is much more likely than the previous Peche attribution. White, ivory, yellow, orange, red, green, and blue with four different types of stylized flower decorations have been recorded, but also without any. They are very elaborate in execution and very representative of the period in design and thus no lack of popularity will make me not like them. On the contrary: if it persists, I'll buy one more.
(Posted for Andy Jelcic)
I like them:)
The ball footed bowl is an exceptional example.