Offered by Tobogan Antiques
Beautiful baluster-shaped vase in blown turquoise-blue glass, composed of an ovoid body narrowing at a pronounced shoulder marked by a wide collar. The upper section extends into a long cylindrical neck flaring into a corolla-shaped rim. The whole is adorned with a rich polychrome decoration in enamel, silver, and gold. On the body unfolds a large circular rosette featuring a complex radiant star with multiple points, characteristic of the sacred geometry of Islamic art, serving as the starting point for a dense network of arabesques, palmettes, and stylized vegetal interlace motifs.
The neck and shoulder are animated by vertical and horizontal friezes, arcades ending in gilded pendant motifs, as well as bands of egg-and-dart and trilobed designs drawn from the repertoire of Mamluk art.
The vase rests on a later silver-mounted base bearing a Spanish hallmark, embellished with reinforcing elements resembling clasps or riveted straps, inspired by Hispano-Moresque metalwork.
In response to the nineteenth-century enthusiasm for the arts of Islam, stimulated by the Universal Expositions, Ludwig Lobmeyr commissioned, from 1877 onward, two talented architects and Orientalists, Franz Schmoranz the Younger and Jan Machytka. Having closely studied Syrian and Egyptian enamelled glass from the fourteenth century, they designed for the manufactory what became known as the “Arab Series,” the “Persian Series,” and the “Hispano-Moresque Series.”
Through its glass coloration, its thick gilding, and its Mamluk and Moorish decorative vocabulary, this vase is a perfect representative of the “Arab Series” (circa 1878–1890).
Biography :
In 1823, Josef Lobmeyr founded the company in Weihburggasse in Vienna, and it soon became a supplier to the Imperial Court. Josef, followed by his son Ludwig Lobmeyr, became pioneers in the production of Austrian and Bohemian crystal. The company participated in the World’s Fairs beginning in 1851 in London. In 1864, Ludwig co-founded the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. Ludwig and his nephew Stefan Rath joined the Modern Movement and co-founded the Österreichischer Werkbund in 1912. The crystal manufactory also commissioned works from the Wiener Werkstätte. J. & L. Lobmeyr supplied the crystal chandeliers for the castles of Linderhof Palace and Herrenchiemsee Palace, as well as a crystal chandelier for Schönbrunn Palace and numerous other clients. In 1883, the company co-developed some of the world’s first electric chandeliers in partnership with Thomas Edison’s company. Lobmeyr also became a supplier to the King of the Belgians, the Duke of Brabant, and the Court of Flanders. In 1906, the company opened a representative office in Karlovy Vary.
After Ludwig’s death in 1917, the company passed to his nephew Stefan Rath. He secured commissions from the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Kremlin. The company remains active today and continues to collaborate regularly with contemporary designers.
