Lötz Manufaktur

Joh. Loetz Witwe

(Klostermühle 1836 – World War II)

Joh. Loetz Witwe, also spelled Joh. Loetz Witwe, was an art glass manufacturer in Klostermühle, Bohemia at the time of the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, whose works are extremely important examples of Art Nouveau.
The glass factory in Klostermuehle was founded in 1836 and bought in 1840 by master smelter Johann Loetz. After his death, his widow continued to run the company. In 1879 her grandson Max Ritter von Spaun took over the factory and completely modernized it.
Johann Loetz's widow became the most important artistic glass manufacturer in Bohemia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was internationally acclaimed. The company became world famous for its Art Nouveau.
Around the turn of the century, Max von Spaun celebrated great success with the phenomenon decor. Because of his contacts in the Viennese art scene, he worked with artists such as Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser.
Objects by Loetz were represented at most world exhibitions and received the highest awards. Particularly typical or the time immediately after 1900 were the metallic iridescent colored glasses.
During the Second World War, the Loetz company ceased operations.
Art Nouveau works by Joh. Loetz Witwe can be found in numerous museums and achieve high prices at auction.

Vase 1902, signed: Loetz Austria (engraved), 11.5 cm high. Clear glass, with dense silver-yellow fusions, Candia silver-iris, strongly pearlescent matt lustre. (SOLD)

Phaenomen-Vase, 1902, 13.5 cm high, cased glass, opaline white and clear, silver yellow crushed glass in the middle of the vessel surrounding decor of wavy combed blue threads, Phaenomen Gre 2/177, pearlescent matt lustre. (SOLD)

Phaenomen-Vase, 1899/1900, signed: Loetz Austria (engraved), 18 cm high, cased glass, clear and salmon pink, applied silver-yellow thread and with five-fold alternating wavy band, strong pearlescent lustre. (SOLD)

Phaenomen-Vase, 1900 signed: Loetz Austria (engraved), 22.8 cm high, slender baluster. Cased glass, light yellowish green and clear, four-fold feathery combed Phaenomen decor of silver-yellow threads, Gre 829 citron, mother-of-pearlmatt lustre. (SOLD)

Vase, ca. 1901, signed: Loetz Austria (engraved), 16.8 cm high. cased glass, clear, light green at the bottom, salmon-pink in the upper part, applied combed plastic thread in silver yellow, alternately pulled up and down. (SOLD)

Phaenomen-Vase, 1899, signed: Ring-Arrow signet (Spaun's coat of arms) and Loetz (engraved), 31 cm high, cased glass, ruby red and clear. Slanted wavy combed decoration of silver yellow threads, ruby Phaenomen Gre 7624, strongly pearlescent matt lustre. (SOLD)