LOETZ Phänomen IRIDESCENT BOHEMIAN ART GLASS VASE

Updated August 8, 2026

AVAILABLE for SHIPPING or LOCAL PICKUP > Exceptional Johann Loetz Witwe Art Nouveau art glass vase standing 5-3/4" tall, measuring 2-5/8" in diameter across the flanged lip and approximately 3" in diameter at the shoulder. Produced at Klostermühle, Bohemia, circa 1898–1905, the vase belongs to the celebrated Loetz Phänomen family of technically complex iridescent glass. The hand-blown form rises from a narrow circular base through a gently tapering ovoid body and rounded shoulder, terminating in a short constricted neck with a broad, outward-flaring flange rim. A rich ruby-red to coppery ground is overlaid with intense metallic iridescence displaying shifting turquoise, peacock blue, emerald green, violet, bronze and gold coloration. The surface decoration was created through hot-applied glass trails manipulated while molten into elongated pulled, combed and webbed formations. These fluid vertical lines expand into irregular cellular and feather-like passages across the body, producing a constantly changing appearance as the vase is turned beneath the light. The contrast between the reddish ground and luminous blue-green iridescence is characteristic of Loetz’s most accomplished turn-of-the-century Phänomen production. Johann Loetz Witwe was among the foremost Bohemian glasshouses of the Art Nouveau period. Under the direction of Max Ritter von Spaun, the Klostermühle factory became internationally recognized for experimental metallic iridescence and sophisticated hot-worked surface treatments. Introduced during the late 1890s, the Phänomen series employed trailing, pulling and combing techniques to create organic patterns evocative of flowing water, feathers, flames and molten metal. Loetz received the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, establishing the factory alongside Tiffany, Gallé and Daum among the leading names in international Art Nouveau glass. The underside retains an old horseshoe-shaped paper label, now faded and lacking legible text. Loetz production was not consistently signed, and period paper labels were among the factory’s recognized methods of identification.

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