1902 Ludwig Vierthaler “Sea form” Copper & Mother of Pearl Vase

Exceedingly rare hand-wrought copper and mother of pearl vase by the hand of Ludwig Vierthaler and a piece featured in the 1902 Turin Exposition of International Design. Alternating worked regions of smooth and textured patinated copper surfaces are meant to convey the idea of surf washing over a naturalistic organic animal form. As with other pieces in Vierthaler’s brief period with Winhart & Co., the vase also features a decorative mixture of copper and semi-precious materials; here a nice sized mother of pearl cabochon to further impart the sense of an organic form. By far the best piece in my collection that fully embodies the Art Nouveau naturalism aesthetic and the handicraftsman ideals of the Arts & Crafts era. Dimensions: 4”(H) x 5”(W).

After many years as a silversmith and bronze caster with Tiffany & Co. in New York, Ludwig Vierthaler arrived in 1896 at the Munich College of Arts and Crafts. Shortly before 1900, he joined the metal workshop Josef Winhart & Co. in Munich, where he was the director of design. In 1906, he joined the services of Eugen Ehrenboeck, a competing Munich metal workshop and in the same year renamed, “E. & L Ehrenboeck Vierthaler.”