Not currently on display at the V&A

Tray

ca. 1905 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Josef Hoffmann studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Carl von Hasenauer and Otto Wagner and was influenced by their theories of a functional, modernist architecture. After winning the Rome prize in 1895 and joining Wagner's office, he established his own office in 1898 and taught at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule from 1899 to 1936. He was a founding member of the Vienna Secession, an avant-garde group of artists and architects. In 1903 he founded the Wiener Werkstätte with Koloman Moser. Hoffmann's earliest works reflect the Vienna Secession's variant of Art Nouveau and his later work shows a pioneering use of geometric and abstract design. His most famous building, the Palais Stoclet in Brussels, built 1905-1911, exemplifies the ideal of the 'Gesamtkunstwerk' or 'total work of art'.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Iron painted white
Brief description
Iron tray, painted white, ca. 1905, designed by Josef Hoffmann made by Wiener Werkstätte, Vienna
Physical description
The surface of the tray is entirely pierced with square perforations giving a lattice work effect throughout. The handles are folded over along the outside of the two shorter sides; the width of each and the distance set in from each corner are also equal to the height of each rim. The tray is painted white.
Dimensions
  • Length: 36.5cm
  • Width: 27.5cm
  • Diameter: 1.5cm
Summary
Josef Hoffmann studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Carl von Hasenauer and Otto Wagner and was influenced by their theories of a functional, modernist architecture. After winning the Rome prize in 1895 and joining Wagner's office, he established his own office in 1898 and taught at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule from 1899 to 1936. He was a founding member of the Vienna Secession, an avant-garde group of artists and architects. In 1903 he founded the Wiener Werkstätte with Koloman Moser. Hoffmann's earliest works reflect the Vienna Secession's variant of Art Nouveau and his later work shows a pioneering use of geometric and abstract design. His most famous building, the Palais Stoclet in Brussels, built 1905-1911, exemplifies the ideal of the 'Gesamtkunstwerk' or 'total work of art'.
Collection
Accession number
M.13-1982

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Record createdAugust 17, 2007
Record URL
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