ticketsMember | Make a donation

Tea service

Designer Josef Hoffmann Austrian
Manufacturer Wiener Werkstätte
ca. 1910
Not on view
Josef Hoffmann's designs before 1900 incorporated the curvilinear, organic motifs common to the then-fashionable Jugendstil and Art Nouveau styles. With the turn of the century, however, he abruptly abandoned them for a revolutionary new approach based on geometry, of which this tea service is an outstanding example. Its materials are lavish: hand-beaten silver, ebony, and semiprecious stones. Hoffmann, however, has integrated them with forms of uncompromising austerity: straight sides, domed lids, and squared-off handles. The only decoration, except for the inset jewels, is the single thin horizontal line of raised dots near the bottom of each container.

This service was made for the Weiner Werkstatte, the company of designers, artists, and craftsmen founded in Vienna in 1903 to produce luxury objects in the most advanced style. The set was purchased in 1910 by a San Francisco couple on their European wedding journey and descended from them to their grandson, the vendor to the Museum.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tea service
  • Designer: Josef Hoffmann (Austrian, Pirnitz 1870–1956 Vienna)
  • Manufacturer: Wiener Werkstätte
  • Date: ca. 1910
  • Medium: Silver, amethyst, carnelian, and ebony
  • Dimensions: Various dimensions
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon B. Polsky Fund, 2000
  • Object Number: 2000.278.1–.9
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Teapot, Josef Hoffmann Austrian, Silver
Teapot
Josef Hoffmann
ca. 1910
Sugar bowl with lid, Josef Hoffmann Austrian, Silver
Sugar bowl with lid
Josef Hoffmann
ca. 1910
Teapot, Josef Hoffmann Austrian, Silver
Teapot
Josef Hoffmann
ca. 1910
Creamer, Josef Hoffmann Austrian, Silver
Creamer
Josef Hoffmann
ca. 1910
Sugar tongs, Josef Hoffmann Austrian, Silver
Sugar tongs
Josef Hoffmann
ca. 1910

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.