Vase

This tall green Art Nouveau glass vessel is one of two vases in the Sainsbury Centre Collection with applied trail and bead decoration (see object 21052). Unsigned, these works have not been attributed to a specific manufacturer. However, both objects were probably made in Germany or Austria around 1900.

The German counterpart to Art Nouveau, ‘Jugendstil’ (Youth Style), took its name from the Munich-based journal Die Jugend. Founded in 1896, Die Jugend featured illustrations by Secessionist artists and designers who identified with the new aesthetic movement. [1]

Blow moulded in dark green iridescent glass, the vase has a conical body, which terminates in a cylindrical, cup-shaped neck with a plain rim. Applied pale green glass threads wind around the vase, creating a band in raised relief slightly below the cup-shaped opening. These glass trails are studded with three red glass beads that add a colourful accent to the design. Decoration is minimal and does not detract from the bold geometry of the vessel’s form.

Glassware with trailed threads can be observed elsewhere in the collection (see objects 21044, 210455 and 21066). Many of the successful Bohemian glassworks that were active in the production of Art Nouveau glass experimented with this decorative technique. It is possible that the manufacturer of this item was emulating threaded designs by Loetz Witwe, Wilhelm Kralik Sohn and Palme Köning und Habel.

Vanessa Tothill, February 2021

[1] Mario Amaya, Art Nouveau (London: Dutton Vista, 1966), p. 124; Paul Greenhalgh, ed., Art Nouveau, 1890-1914 (London: V&A Publications, 2000), p. 290.