LOETZ AND GLASS

Loetz 3: From O to W

OCEANIK (1904)
 
One might describe Oceanik as a Wellenoptisch pattern combined with sea green ciselé.

1. OCEANIK GROUP

OLYMPIA (1896)
 
This Loetz line is quite similar to Steuben's Verre de Soie, but has a green hue. One of the vases below may not be Loetz, but Steuben; can you guess which?

2. OLYMPIA GROUP

ORPHEUS (1903)
 
Orpheus vases are characterized by blue prunts and sometimes heavy blue spiral threading. The background might be called Olympia.

3. UNTHREADED ORPHEUS

This is the largest piece of Loetz I have: 20 inches/51 CM:

4. ORPHEUS THREADED

PAMPAS (1899)
Pampas glass appears in green and cobalt. It was not quite successfully copied by Kralik. The difference? Loetz inimitable metallic iridescence. The vase on the right is 8100-1899.

 
 5. GREEN PAMPAS GROUP.

PAPILLON (1898-99)
One of the cheapest to produce and most successful of Loetz lines, it appears in the by now familiar color triad: gold, blue and green, with red rarely making an appearance. Most of the reds I have seen are really a kind of hot pink. That makes the little vase below quite different:
 
6. 8050-1899 (NEU 172-1900)

Since there is so much papillon on the market, it pays to choose unusual shapes. In my case, Jack in the Pulpit vases:

7. GREEN PAPILLON JIP GROUP

I supsect these are the vases that gave their name to the line, since they have applied butterflies: 
8. A TRUE PAPILLON VASE!

Many people repeat the mantra that "Loetz always has a polished pontil mark." Not true. Smaller pieces were usually mold blown, as well as pieces that were to be placed in metal frames. In the picture below, the vase in the middle is cut from the top:
9. GREEN PAPILLON GROUP

The, there are the gold JIPs:

10. GOLD JIP GROUP

 A seashell:

11. GOLD PAPILLON SHELL

 
This gives a sense of the range of shapes in gold:
 
12. GOLD PAPILLON GROUP
 
Blue Papillon was in production until very late. Usually, later pieces are stamped with the oval provenance mark, which does not constitute a signature.
 
These three vases are older:
13.  OLDER BLUE PAPILLON

 
This pair exemplifies the newer production:
 
14. DECO BLUE PAPILLON

 
Finally, a rare pin tray:
15.  TRAY
 
PHÄNOMENS
 
Phänomen is such a broad category that it is useless to try to define it. It refers to Loetz luxury lines, which are out of most collectors' reach. Since many of the examples on the market are both small, expensive and extremely non-functional, they do not fit either my pocket or my taste. However, these consititute an exception:
 
16. PHAN GRE 1-844
 
And an undocumented variant:
17. I-844 VARIANT?

And my "good luck" vase, because it survived the destruction of half of my collection in 2004, through construction next door. It has a genuine Loetz signature.
 
18. PHAN GRE 299
 
19. 299 SIGNATURE



 

 
RUSTICANA (1899)

Perhaps the most ubiquitous Loetz decor or pattern, only interesting shapes are worth collecting. Only very rarely does it appear in any other color than green. There are two variants: Creta Glatt and Creta Silberiris. The one in the middle is a Hofstötter shape:

20. CRETA GLATT

 
21. CRETA SILBERIRIS

Christopher Dresser designs, commissioned from Loetz by Max Emmanuel of London also appear in Rusticana. The Bronze Glatt  on the left is rare:
22. DRESSER RUSTICANAS
 
Loetz made leaf vases in a combination of surface treatments:
23.  LEAF VASES

And finally, a rare color:

24. CANDIA RUSTICANA

 

SCHAUMGLAS (1930'S)

Loetz bubble glass was created as a response to WMF's hugely successful Ikora glass, which it closely resembles. In fact, WMF has a line of yellow bubbly glass called Medusa, which is practically indistinguishable from Loetz yellow Schaumglas.
 



25. YELLOW SCHAUM


 
26. GREEN SCHAUM


 
27. SHAPE STUDY

I just acquired a white Schaum, intrigued by its paper label.  I wrote to Eddy Scheepers, who informed me that late pieces of Loetz, from the 40's, not only carried a paper label, but were actually manufactured in Frauenau, a German town just across the border from
Kostermuhle!


28. White Frauenau Schaum

29. Frauenau label


 SILBERIRIS

Silberiris is listed in Ricke 1 as one of several "simple decors", that is, finishes that were used in a variety of designs. Candia Silberiris--gold; Cobalt Silberiris--dark blue; and Creta Silberiris--green. However, two other simple decors: Norma and Delphi, are quite similar. 
 
Many decors were made in the Silberiris finish, including Rusticana, Diaspora, Neptune, the Tree Trunk vases, Asträa, Astartig, and the Chain Decor vases.
 
This is probably the best example of Candia Silberiris I own, a vase designed by Robert Holubetz:
 
30. HOLUBETZ DESIGN
 
These two have a much more intense color. The vase on the left has a reddish tint to it:
 
31. CANDIA SILBERIRIS?
 
32. COBALT SILBERIRIS
 
In the Passau Museum, these lobed vases (which are not documented in any book on Loetz or on the Loetz website) appear in a case labeled "Delphi/Norma." 
 
33. CRETA SILBERIRIS?  DELPHI?  NORMA?
 
 
VULCAN (1902)
 
Vulcan was created exclusively for the Bakalowitz firm from Vienna, and it was described as light green glass shading to a reddish brown on top. It appears identified for the first time in PMC IV.
The designer for the shape of my particular vase was Koloman Moser. The three examples I have found in books have an irregular top; However, a mention is made in Ricke 1 of a version with a smooth mouth (Glatter Mundung):
 
34. RICKE 1, 180:191
 
By the way, notice the similarity to Rindskopf's Pepita glass:
 
35. VULCAN
 
 
WELLENOPTISCH (1902-03)
 
The name refers to the optic pattern in these vases, not to the finish. The vase on the left is done in Candia Sibleriris:
 
36. WELLENOPTISCH PAIR