Identifying Loetz!

There are a lot of " rules of thumb" when it comes to collecting Loetz art glass. You will often hear that all Loetz has a polished pontil mark! Or all Loetz vases have polished rather than ground (flat) rims. Many also believe that signatures on Loetz pieces only appear on the rarer and more expensive Phanomen Genres. The photos included here are of a Candia Papillion vase with the coveted Spaun crossed arrows mark. Note the lack of a pontil mark and also the flat ground rim. This vase can be found in the Loetz Bible as documented production number 7609 which was made c1898.

The beginning Loetz collector has a wealth of information available to them such as the website Loetz.com, Loetz books and articles about Loetz fakes. Actually, there is so much information that it can be difficult to absorb it all!

My recommendation is to give it time and let your eyes be your guide. Of course, you will make mistakes now and then as we all have. As long as you don't pay too much for a piece until you are certain what it is even if you love it you should be okay. I have just counted my mistakes as part of my art glass education tuition!

Finally, even though I have never seen an original Loetz vase with a "button pontil" and I doubt that I ever will, I think the only hard and fast rule should be to enjoy the glass that you are adding to your collection and when in doubt trust your eyes!