Josef Hoffmann, Pair of Mirrors, Max Welz / Wiener Werkstätte, around 1925
View Similar Items
Josef Hoffmann, Pair of Mirrors, Max Welz / Wiener Werkstätte, around 1925
About the Item
- Creator:Josef Hoffmann (Designer),Max Welz (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17.8 in (45.2 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 1.19 in (3 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:around 1925
- Condition:Almost identical pair of mirrors.
- Seller Location:Vienna, AT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9798829573
Josef Hoffmann
The Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann was a central figure in the evolution of modern design, and a leader in an aesthetic movement born in Europe in the late 19th century that rejected florid, extravagant ornamentation in favor of a new emphasis on simplicity of line.
As a founder of the Vienna Secession — a union of artists and designers determined to upend Austria’s artistic conservatism — and later, a founder of the turn-of-the-century Wiener Werkstätte (in English: the Viennese Workshops), a design cooperative that produced superbly crafted furniture and housewares, Hoffmann was a pioneering practitioner of what would become a fundamental principle of modernism: that good design is a way of life.
Hoffmann came of age amidst a shift in the culture of the applied arts, as a conservative order that looked only to the past for inspiration was pushed aside. But what, exactly, would replace that order was in question — and Hoffmann’s career embodies the developing patterns of design’s new spirit. His architectural work reflects his time as a student of the Vienna architect Otto Wagner, who disdained excessive decoration and employed new materials such as steel girders and reinforced concrete to create buildings with airy, open interiors full of light.
As a designer of furniture and interiors, Hoffmann was consistently open-minded about the aesthetics he explored. He was an early adherent of the flowing, organic forms of the Art Nouveau design movement that began to flourish in the late 1880s — but by the opening of the Wiener Werkstätte in 1903, Hoffmann’s designs embraced the beauty of geometry in pieces that feature grids and angular forms.
Hoffmann’s greatest works reflect his ability to combine seemingly conflicting design visions into coherent wholes. His architectural masterpiece, the Stoclet Palace in Brussels, has an exterior that groups together simple geometric forms and spacious interiors marked by subtly naturalistic design details that lend rooms an air of charm and geniality.
Hoffmann’s signature furniture design is an adjustable lounge chair — the Sitzmaschine (1905) — that marries a curving frame with square and rectangular back- and side rests. This piece, like so many others by Hoffmann, reflects a groundbreaking, forward-thinking appreciation for the union of different looks and sources that marks the best of interior design in our own day. Moreover, items offered on 1stDibs — which range from enameled silver jewelry, to silver flower vase baskets and other decorative objects, to sofas, lighting pendants and sconces — testify to the astonishing breadth of Hoffman’s creative pursuits. He was truly a giant of design.
- Gilded Mirror by Josef Hoffmann, execution Max Welz for Wiener Werkstätte, 1930By Josef Hoffmann, Max WelzLocated in Wien, ATIn Josef Hoffmann's designs, foliage emerged as a central and recurring motif, wherein he masterfully encapsulated nature’s intricate ornamental language in a stylized and minimalist...Category
Vintage 1930s Austrian Vienna Secession Wall Mirrors
MaterialsGold Leaf
- Austrian Giltwood Mirrors, circa 1930, Max WelzBy Dagobert Peche, Max WelzLocated in Vienna, ATRare pair of giltwood mirrors by Max Welz, circa 1930. Carved limewood with leaf gold and floral decorations - noteworthy is that the floral decor on the top are mirrored. Very good ...Category
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Deco Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Giltwood
$3,957 / set - Max Welz Giltwood Faux Bamboo Wall Mirror, 1940s, AustriaBy Max WelzLocated in Biebergemund, HessenSculptural, handcrafted giltwood faux bamboo round wall mirror made and labeled by Max Welz in the 1940s, Austria. The mirror is in very good condition. We love to create the illusio...Category
Vintage 1940s Austrian Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Giltwood
- Gio Ponti Style Gilt Wood Mirror by Max Welz Vienna, Austria, 1940sBy Max Welz, Gio PontiLocated in Vienna, ATA wonderful Austrian modernist wall mirror with a lovely curved gold-plated lime wood frame from the 1940s. Manufactured by Max Welz Vienna, Austria. In very good condition with char...Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsGold Leaf
- Josef Hoffmann Style Mirror in White Lacquered Metal 1970sBy Josef HoffmannLocated in Tilburg, NLJosef Hoffmann Style Mirror in White Lacquered Metal 1970s. Wonderful and particular mirror in white lacquered metal in a distinct style remindin...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte MirrorsLocated in New York, NYPair of Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte Mirrors model # 1669. Rose tinted clear glass with mounted round mirror surrounded in a brass band.Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
$24,800 / set