Jewel Box
Dagobert Peche Austrian
Manufacturer Wiener Werkstätte
Not on view
Although the Wiener Werkstätte, founded in 1903, is perhaps best known for the strict and vigorous geometry of its earliest designs, a playful, ornamental spirit characterizes the work produced there after the start of World War I. Peche, who worked as a designer at the Wiener Werkstätte between 1915 and 1923 (becoming a co-director in 1917), was a driving force behind the development of a more exuberant and decorative aesthetic, derived in part from Baroque and Rococo influences and in part from folk art, which was typical of objects it produced in the 1920s. This jewel casket is a tour de force of artistic showmanship masquerading under a functional designation; indeed, the coffer would outshine any jewel it might contain. The domed box itself (raised on four bulb feet, each of which opens to reveal additional storage cavities) is dominated by the extravagant handle in the form of a flower-bedecked deer standing among grapevines.
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