Vase with Latticework and Glass Inset

A student of Otto Wagner, Josef Hoffmann was part of the Secessionist group at its dawning. As a co founder of the Wiener Werkstätte, he and the young company mandated “close contact between the public, designers and craftspeople” as well as the creation of “good and simple household articles.” This vase is one of a series of products made from perforated tin, in which were all similarly crafted, but could not be more different in their uses. The craftsmen and women of the Wiener Werkstätte produced boxes, candlesticks, desk sets, flower bowls, and wastebaskets in this particular design, often lacquered in white and constructed of metal with punchedthrough squares. His use of squares earned Josef Hoffmann the nickname “Quadratl-Hoffmann,” or Square Hoffmann. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether the invention of this gridded design can be traced back to him or to Moser.