Furniture

Spectacularly designed and executed, this rare ceramic lidded urn or vase enriched with a complex interplay of geometric and floral motifs was designed by Austrian architect Emanuel Josef Margold for the famed Wahliss Serapis ceramics line. The rich interplay of oval cartouches filled with stylized flowers and an array of black-and-gold stripes and diaper patterns shows the clear influence of the Secessionists, the Vienna Workshop and the emerging Art Deco style. Margold was born in Austria, studied in Königsberg and Mainz, and later became an assistant to Josef Hoffmann and an employee of the Wiener Werkstätte. In 1907, publisher Alexander Koch in Darmstadt became aware of Margold and published his designs in various magazines. Within a few years, Margold moved to Darmstadt to join the art colony there, and became a prolific designer of jewelry...