Vienna was the crown of the expansive Austro-Hungarian Empire—and, as such, became the tastemaker for the rest of the realm. In turn-of-the-century Vienna, Secessionism (Austria's contribution to the larger Art Nouveau Movement) was all the rage, and the Movement spread throughout the rest of the Empire. But production of the decorative arts was not limited to Vienna (or Austria) alone; talented artisans in the "satellite" countries also contributed to the manufacture of Secessionist objets.
The vase here, made in the mid-to-late Twenties, was made in (what was then) Czechoslovakia. The swirling "rosettes" on the handles could have come right off a Gustav Klimt painting. And the bronze gunmetal glazing gives the piece a suitable gravitas, like the handsome Secessionist architecture which still stands in Vienna today.
Please click on the photo above to learn more about this piece.
More about ceramic workshop tomorrow...
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