Double Ink Well
Design Date c. 1920
Manufacturer Wiener Kunstkeramische Werkstätten Busch & Ludescher (1908-1940), Vienna, Austria
Media ceramic
Dimensions 4 3/8 x 8 1/2 x 5 inches
After the revival of handicraft by the Arts & Crafts Movement, ceramics and porcelain gained popularity in Art Nouveau and Wiener Werkstätte design. This double ink well incorporates several Wiener Werkstätte characteristics: the thick black grid lines on a white surface are a signature of the modern sparseness of Wiener Werkstätte, while the linear, lacy swirls that fill the spaces between the grids are reminiscent of the spiral patterns in the art of Gustav Klimt, a Wiener Werkstätte painter. The ink well’s design is also rendered mostly in the austere black and white style of this period in Viennese design.
ON VIEW in Art Nouveau Gallery 4
Markings Bottom impressed, "WKKW" logo mark and "1192/63/6
Credit Line Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Accession Number 2004.1591
