Art Deco Spatterglass vase, glass, Czechoslovakia, 1930s

A vase made at the Czechoslovak Welz glassworks in the 1930s is an example of the Spatterglass glassmaking technique characteristic of the Art Deco era. Thick, moulded glass takes on a geometric form with a widened base and mouth and a narrowing in the middle, accentuated by three convex, horizontal rings at the lower part. Its surface features a shiny, smooth glassy pattern in which energetic yellow, deep blue, vivid orange-red and black form a dynamic, fiery, splattered design. The whole is in good condition - a small indentation on the rim. This vase carries the voice of interwar Europe, which in the 1930s boldly looked towards modernity and decorative expression. Its silhouette evokes the architecture of the time, where proportion and rhythm were as important as detail. The intense colour contrasts seem to pulsate with energy - like a longing for the luminous balls of the Art Deco years, where colour and light played equal roles. Touching the convex rings evokes the gesture of opening up to new forms, while the glass shimmers as if it still catches the light of bygone evenings. The vase can be combined with simple, lacquered furniture from the era to emphasise the style of the 1930s, or placed on a light, stone countertop in a modern interior for a bold contrast. It works well solo as a central point on a console, or accompanied by glass in neutral shades to focus attention on the dynamic pattern. In an eclectic, collector's living room, it is worth combining it with brass fittings or pastel textiles to balance its expressive tones, while appreciating the decorative character of Art Deco.