Ludwig Karl Maria Vierthaler Decorative Objects

Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the default quote does not include packing and insurance. 1stDibs shipping provides a level of value, protection, and care that aligns with our commitment to safeguarding historic artworks and providing excellent client service. Created while a lead designer for J. Winhart & Co., Ludwig Vierthaler’s cicada themed copper vase showcases the design principles which he developed at J. Winhart in the pre-war years, where emphasis was placed on craftsmanship and the characteristics of the material itself. The vase’s ambiguous quality and use of allegory also shows his uncanny understanding of the dual nature of German life at the time. On the one hand, under Kaiser Wilhelm II, Germany was asserting herself strongly in the Weltpolitik through alliances with other central-European powers and in making grand plans to grow in military strength. With hindsight, Vierthaler’s vase is all the more remarkable for his prescience in the twilight of an empire. By presenting a cicada, he evokes a conundrum. Is this cicada a strong adult, newly emerged from a long dormancy? Or is this the cicada...

Attributed to Ludwig Karl Maria Vierthaler for J. Winhart & Co. Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable ...

Recognized for his technically superior and beautiful metal patinations for tableware, Munich born Ludwig Vierthaler’s designs and metalwork caught the attention of Tiffany & Co., NY...

Crafted by Ludwig Vierthaler for the Josef Winhart metalwork company in Munich, this gorgeous and singular lidded canister displays the bravura repoussé work that the artist is known for. Winhart hammered elaborate Secession-style swirls and geometric patterns into the sides and lid of this piece, and enriched the lid with midnight blue and ruddy brown enamels. The entire piece has a subtle hammered finish and a streaky patina that gives the surface great depth of color. Interestingly, Vierthaler spent years as a metalsmith at Tiffany and Company in New York...