Loetz vase Argus ca. 1902

The “Argus” décor is one of the most popular variants from the Phenomen Genres family and was created in 1902. With its silver oxide eyes and finely spun silver crumb threads, this decoration is one of the most technically sophisticated works that a glass artist was allowed to execute at Johann Loetz-Witwe.
When developing this very appealing design, the Bohemian glass manufactory clearly took inspiration from the secessionist style, which represented the aesthetic avant-garde at the time, mainly in the group around Gustav Klimt. The shimmering silver particles seem to float on a moving water surface, with the bluish silver threads undulating like waves, giving the pattern a uniform dynamic. The spun decoration on the hazelnut-brown ground, which gradually runs down to a “Papillon”-like olive green, is particularly beautiful.