Loetz vase unidentified decor ca. 1900

This vase features one of the most experimental and elaborate decorations of the successful Phänomen series, a highly sophisticated design technique that shaped the glass production of Johann Loetz Witwe around 1900. The exact decor has not yet been clearly identified, as only a very few documented examples with comparable execution are known. Objects of this type are often referred to in the specialist literature as “heart vases.”
The decor consists of nine fused glass hearts that were applied to the hot glass mass and then fire-polished. The electric blue iridescence of the hearts, along with the silver bands encircling the vase’s body, unfolds a special luminosity against the background of the vase, which shimmers from delicate pink through maroon hues to opal tones. The UV-reflective silver oxide threads at the upper rim respond to incident light with finely nuanced color reflections, lending the object exceptional visual depth.
The vase is signed “Loetz Austria” on the bottom. With ist complex, highly innovative glassworking technique and extraordinary rarity, this vase occupies a special place among the works of Johann Loetz Witwe, making it a unique object of outstanding artistic craftsmanship and art historical significance.