Loetz vase Medici Maron ca. 1902

Around 1900, at the height of the Art Nouveau movement, two distinctive design elements shaped glass production in Klostermühle: the intricately twisted and combed thread decoration, and the shimmering, metallic iridescence. This special technique was introduced into the glassworks’ production in 1898 and became known under the term “Phenomenon Glass.” Decorative vessels of this type are among the most technically advanced, artistically sophisticated, and successful products of the manufactory.

The “Medici” decor, also known as Phenomenon Genre 2/484, is one of the most successful designs in this series. The violet and green-gold iridescence spreads in irregular tongues across the body of the vase, which is distinguished by four symmetrically arranged indents. In these indents, the light refracts in varying ways, revealing the full spectrum of the dazzling iridescence.