SHAPES

As  already  mentioned  above,  the  painters  were  provided  with  the  undecorated  glassware
  on  behalf  of  the  Lobmeyr  Company.  Most  of  it  probably  came  from  Meyr’s  Neffe  /
Adolf  (the  A  in  front  of  numerous  shape  numbers  can  in  all  probability  be  interpreted  as
“Adolf”).  The  complicated  technique  of  bronzite  decoration  with  its  usually  detailed  ornamentation
  necessitated  above  all  simple  shapes.  These  simple  designs  were  emphasised
  especially  by  Hoffmann’s  line  decorations  or  -  in  the  case  of  floral  decorations  -  at
least  by  division  into  segments.  The  cross-sections  of  the  glassware  were  either  circular, ­
  oval  or  polygonal  (“octogonal  bronzite”),  the  sides  smooth  or  “faceted”  (polygonal
cutting).
Bronzite  decorations  were  used  for  drinking  Services,  toilet  sets,  flower  sets  and  individual ­
  pieces  (vases,  goblets,  etc.).  The  shapes  of  the  drinking  Services  included  a  decanter
  with  stopper,  water,  wine,  Champagne  and  liqueur  glasses,  and  sometimes  also  a
beer  glass  and  a  Champagne  flute  (the  Champagne  glass  was  normally  shallow,  i.  e.  a
“Champagne  coupe”).
The  same  types  of  shapes  were  also  used  for  the  drinking  Service  with  Hoffmann’s  variant
  A,  B  and  F  bronzite  decorations:  decanter  with  stopper  (serial  number  A  9376-11),
stemmed  glass  (A  9377-11),  “Champagne  glass,  shallow”  (A  9378-11)  and  liqueur  glass
(A  9379-11),  and  water  beaker  (T.  S.  226).
Toilet  sets  consisted  of  flacons  (often  in  two  different  sizes),  powder  box,  comb,  needle
and  jewellery  dishes.
Flower  sets  were  made  up  of  low  oval  bowls  (jardinieres)  and  tall  cylindrical  vases
(beaker  shaped,  sometimes  not  unlike  beer  glasses  in  shape).
The  shapes  and  decorations  for  bronzite  decorated  glassware  were  probably  developed
simultaneously.  Occasionally  shapes  evolved  several  years  earlier  were  used  (e.  g.  the
beaker  of  drinking  Service  T.  S.  226,  which  was  probably  created  around  1905,  and  a  few
even  older  shapes).
Additions  to  the  original  shapes  of  a  Service  or  a  set  can  be  seen  from  the  later  dates  of
the  serial  numbers  (shape  numbers).
THE  DESIGNERS
As  a  general  rule  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  shapes  and  decorations  of  decorated ­
  glassware  are  not  necessarily  the  work  of  the  same  artist.  The  designers  of  most  of
the  bronzite  decorations  are  known:  Josef  Hoffmann,  Ludwig  Heinrich  Jungnickel,  Urban ­
  Janke,  Oswald  Dittrich  and  Arnold  Nechansky.  Some  decorations  are  the  joint  work
of  two  artists  (Janke  and  Jungnickel),  while  a  few  decorations  have  not  yet  been  attributed
  to  any  specific  artist.
JOSEF  HOFFMANN
Josef  Hoffmann  created  a  number  of  designs  for  bronzite  decorations,  probably  in  1910,
but  at  the  beginning  of  1911  at  the  latest:  on  the  one  hand  strictly  linear  decorations,
and  on  the  other  stylised  floral  ornamentation.  In  the  majority  of  cases  Hoffmann  used  a
beaker  shape  for  these  decorations  (T.  S.  226).
On  8th  April  1911  Karl  Fiedler  received  an  order  from  Lobmeyr  to  produce  one  beaker
each  decorated  with  variants  A,  B,  D  and  E,  and  two  decorated  with  variant  F.  He  delivered
  these  in  mid  June,  and  in  September  1911  he  received  two  further  Orders  for
these  decorations.  The  records  show  that  in  September  1911  Fiedler  received  his  first
order  for  a  beaker  with  decoration  C.

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