Loetz shell vase Candia Papillon ca. 1898

Among the most popular motifs in the series of naturalistic glasses produced by Johann Loetz Witwe range the conch shape. Seashells show many different decorations, like Neptun, Diaspora, Asträa, several different Phenomen decors, Chiné and, as with this example, Papillon.
Similar vases can be found as a pure shell or entwined with corals, rendering the impression that the shell has become entangled in a coral bed. The Papillon decor merges organically with the shape, its speckled drops reminiscent of rising bubbles in the water, thus, emphasizing the idea of its natural environment.