The jewelry of the Wiener Werkstätte blurs the lines between gorgeous ornament and miniature sculpture The Wiener Werkstätte, or Vienna Workshops, was founded in 1903. The firm's artistic cofounders, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, subscribed to the English Arts and Crafts ideal of exceptionally well-made objects designed by artists and executed by specialized craftsmen. Following the example of near contemporaries René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, Hoffmann and Moser shared the belief that jewelry should be valued for its artistic merit and not simply for its monetary value. This opulent publication highlights masterpieces created by the Wiener Werkstätte between 1903 and the early 1920s. It features significant pieces by Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Carl Otto Czeschka and Dagobert Peche, among others. Supplemental materials include relevant periodicals, design drawings and photographs of prominent clients.

The patterns and prints of the Wiener Werkstatte were among the most popular and successful textile designs of the early twentieth century, reflecting both the tastes of Viennese society and general trends toward artistic abstractionism. They are presented here in an unparalleled compilation.

"This book details the breadth of the workshop's design vision, and provides a comprehensive overview of the movement, one of the high points of modern design history and a beacon for artists and designers ever since."--BOOK JACKET.

An exhibition of postcards published by the Vienna Workshops beginning in 1907.

"With contributions by Hanna Egger, Gabriele Fabiankowitsch, Rainald Franz, Waltraud Neuwirth and Nina Claudia Trauth, Sabine Plakolm-Forsthuber, Ernst Ploil, Anne-Katrin Rossberg, August Ruhs, Nikolaus Schaffer, Elisabeth Schmuttermeier, Nancy J. Troy, Angela Volker, and Christian Witt-Doring." "Dagobert Peche (1887-1923) was one of the key figures of the Austrian arts and crafts movement. Along with Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, Peche determined the character of the Wiener Werkstatte with his designs. Hoffmann, who first hired Peche as his assistant but was later strongly influenced by him, wrote after Peche's death in 1923: "Dagobert Peche was Austria's greatest genius in ornamentation since the days of the Baroque...All of Germany has experienced a new stylistic epoch thanks to Peche's designs." The contribution made by Peche to decorative arts is now being given the critical attention it deserves, especially against the backdrop of postmodernism. Peche's extravagant use of materials, imaginative eclecticism, formal boldness, courageous playfulness, and decisive instinct are all indicative of his creative brillance." "This illustrated book aims to expand the understanding of Austrian arts and crafts at the turn of the twentieth century and to give Peche's work - which ranges from interior and exhibition design to furniture, fashion and textile design, ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewelry, and wallpaper - its proper due in this rich context."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved