Deceldose (Lidded Container)

Born in Sankt Michael, Salzburg, Peche was an Austrian designer, active in the early twentieth century. He studied at the technical college and the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, beginning to work in textiles and ceramics from around 1912. He joined the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop) in 1915, turning his hand to design in a variety of fields; crafts such as furniture, silversmithing and pottery, flat decoration such as wallpaper or textiles, as well as graphics and clothing. He was one of the most important designers at the Werkstätte in its later period, excelling in bright and fantastic decoration that was in contrast to the simple forms and geometric designs that had been produced in its early period. He died early in 1923 at the age of twenty-six. The lidded pottery container was produced before Peche officially joined the Werkstätte; the surface is decorated with a black-and-white design of butterflies, stars, etc., typical of the fantastic scenes at which he excelled. The ivory pendant, that was made at the Werkstätte, uses a motif of heart-shaped leaves that he often employed in his work.