Josef Hoffmann, Dessert knife and fork,
Flaches Modell (flat model), c. 1903.

Kunsthaus Zug, Stiftung Sammlung Kamm, Zug.

 

 

Furthermore, the wrought metalwork (alpaca etc.) is also popular among buyers. Especially the galvanised tints, e.g. black copper, are awe-inspiring. The cardboard boxes made from marbled paper are almost pre-determined to find their way into households from all walks of life. They are a decidedly refreshing element among the assortment of other decorative objects guaranteed to enliven any room. Some of them have seen truly creative application, like rectangular cases for hatpins.

The invention of charming gadgets is one of the many strengths of the best minds in the Werkstätte. They do have the necessary humour for that. Some of the lacquered, wooden figures which were originally conceived as chocolate boxes are so popular in their drollness that people have started using them as entertaining toys for their kids. Moser is the grandmaster of such things. Even tiny wooden boxes painted with similar droll figures are still fascinating eye-catchers.

We can find ample supplies of such small, charming, and lovingly crafted objects in the glass cabinets and glass stands of the salon. It is a pleasure to study this miniature world which is so different from anything you can find on the Graben or the Kohlmarkt[7], or any neighbouring provinces. Although it is only unofficially “applied art” it will still bring honour to its hallmark, the stylised rose of the Wiener Werkstätte.

 

 

The Most Important Artists of the Wiener Werkstätte

 

Beside Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Joseph Maria Olbrich, the group also counted sculptor Richard Luksch (1872-1936), painter and designer Carl Otto Czeschka (1878-1960), Bertold Löffler (1874-1960) as well as metalworker and sculptor Franz Metzner (1870-1919) among its members. Although Moser, Hoffmann, and Olbrich were mainly responsible for the field of architecture and furniture, they also contributed to all other workfields – glasswork, jewellery, fashion, ceramics, textiles, and the fine arts. With their all-encompassing involvement in the business of the Werkstätte, they also carried the burden of success and failure of their venture. On a side note, it should be mentioned that in 1969 a new group was founded with the name Neue Wiener Werkstätte (New Viennese Workshop) and still exists today.