Rare early pair of Loetz Art Glass Vases in a graceful Tulip Motif made by Austrian - Bohemian Artist Johann Loetz Witwe in the 1880s. Green and rich red color with silver and blue iridescent highlights showcase these fine graceful examples of Viennese Art Nouveau - Jugendstil.  The vases were mouth-blown and hand shaped by Austria’s premier glass studio which flourished in the late 1800s and very early 20th Century.

Each vase is signed “Loetz” on the bottom. Signed Loetz pieces are rare. Each vase is 13 3/8 inches tall and 3 3/4 inches wide at the flower bud. They are in excellent condition.

The Loetz glassworks was started in 1840 in Klostermuhle, Austria, and produced fine art glass pieces for only 100 years. The company’s premier period was between 1879 until 1908 under the guidance of Max Ritter Von Spaun, grandson of the original founder Johann Loetz. During this time the company invented, designed and produced a whole series of new types of glass, taking out several patents and winning awards at all the major world exhibitions during the 1890's and early 1900s.

The Loetz company was one of the leaders in Art Nouveau - Jugendstil - iridescent art glass design which included “Papillon” glass, sometimes known as "oil spot" glass and  “Phenomenon" glass with ribbons of metallic colors winding over the surface.

About 1900 the company started collaborating with outside designers, and some great artists designed pieces for Loetz, notably Joseph Hofmann, Koloman Moser, Maria Kirchner, Hofstatter, Adolf Beckert and Michael Powolny.

Loetz glass was rarely signed. There are excellent reference books, one by Helmut Ricke and two by Waltraud Neuwirth which help identify Loetz glass.

The two tulip vases offered here are each signed on the bottom, please see photograph.