Ceramic vase Karl Klaus Serapis Wahliss ca. 1910

Around 1900, the Ernst Wahliss Wien manufacture was one of the most important Austrian workshops for porcelain and faience products. Both its stylistic features and the fancy decoration of our elegant vase show the distinctive style of Karl Klaus. At the time, the young architect and designer had just completed his studies at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna, where he had studied under Josef Hoffmann, among others. His designs for Ernst Wahliss Vienna were already among the company’s most popular designs at the time and are still highly regarded in the art world today.
The repeating vignettes in black, gold and blue combine to create a stunning ornament on the white background next to the black bars with gold decoration. This vase perfectly embodies the secessionist zeitgeist in the decorative arts and is a wonderful example of the Austrian Jugenstil around 1900.