Cruet Stand
Koloman (Kolo) Moser (Made by Alfred Mayer, silversmith for the Wiener Werkstätte (Austrian, 1903-1932); Austria, Vienna)
1904/05
- Medium
- Silver and glass
- Classification
- Metalwork
- Dimensions
- Stand: H.: 17 cm (6 11/16 in.); 14.7 × 6.9 cm (5 13/16 × 2 5/16 in.); Bottles: H.: 9.9 cm (3 15/16 in.)
- Culture
- Vienna
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Applied Arts of Europe
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds provided by Richard T. Crane, Mrs. Julian Armstrong, Jr., and Mrs. George B. Young
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
The rigidly geometric form of this cruet stand is characteristic of the Wiener Werkstätte’s early production. The stand is one of a number of objects—including baskets, trays, vases, and even furniture—made from sheets of metal perforated with latticework patterns. Abandoning any reference to historical design, Werkstätte artists created simple but elegant forms they hoped would be consumed on a broad scale, bringing “good design” to the masses. Ultimately, though, Vienna’s intellectual elite, rather than the general public, embraced the Werkstätte’s avant-garde works. This cruet stand belonged to Fritz Waerndorfer, the Wiener Werkstätte’s patron and financier.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
