Bowl
1851 to 1875
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
black and red ink over graphite on blue-lined paper
Dimensions
overall: 21 x 30 cm (8 1/4 x 11 13/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1971.41.28
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, titled *Bowl*, by the innovative Austrian designer Josef Hoffmann, captures the essence of functional beauty from the mid-19th century (1851–1875). Rendered in black and red ink over graphite on blue-lined paper the 21 x 30 cm sheet (8 1/4 x 11 13/16 in.) showcases Hoffmann's meticulous preparatory style. The blue-lined support hints at a sketch made on everyday drafting paper, blending practicality with artistry—a nod to the designer's roots in architecture and decorative arts. Hoffmann, a pioneer of the Vienna Secession and Wiener Werkstätte movements, often explored ...
About the Artist
Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956) was an Austrian architect and designer who stands as one of the pivotal figures of the Vienna Secession and the broader European Arts and Crafts movement. Born in Pirnitz (now Brtnice, in the Czech Republic), Hoffmann studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Otto Wagner, the theorist of modern architecture whose commitment to functional rationalism and honest ...