Loetz Cobalt Papillon Art Glass Box

Product Details

Antique Loetz Cobalt Papillon art glass box,Edwardian, circa 1910.

A distinctive design feature is that the three applied bun feet and cover finial are in contrast to the box by being in cobalt blue only, without the papillon finish. 

5 1/2” (14cm) diameter, 5” (12.7cm) high.

It is in excellent condition.

$2500.

The Loetz glassworks were founded by Johann Loetz in Klostermuhle, Bohemia in 1840.  Although Loetz died in 1848, the glassworks continued under his widow’s direction as Glasfabrik Johann Loetz-Witwe (the Widow Johann Loetz Glassworks).  By the 1880s Loetz had acquired the reputation as a manufacturer of innovative glass, both on technique and design, produced under the direction of Loetz’s grandson, Max Ritter von Spaun.  

Loetz glass was well enough established to exhibit at the 1889 World Exposition in Paris and the 1893 Columbia World’s Fair in Chicago.

In 1898, after several years of experimentation with variations in firing, Spaun perfected and patented the technique to produce the deep blue/gold metallic lustre.  It was named “Cobalt Papillon” for its resemblance to the wings of butterflies and the colour of cobalt blue with violet hues.