Candleholder c. 1920 - 1925

This ceramic Candleholder was made by Josef Hoffmann sometime in the 20th century. The geometric shape of the candleholder is super cool, but it’s the drippy, glaze that really makes it for me. You can really see the artist at work, tilting the object this way and that, coaxing the glaze down the sides to create these striations of color. I wonder what it was like for Hoffmann to work with these materials? Ceramics are such an interesting medium. I mean, you don’t really know what you’re going to get until you fire it. There’s a lot of trust involved, a hope that the kiln gods will be on your side! That orange is so hot – it really pops against the black and white. And those little cylindrical legs! They look like they could walk away any minute now. This piece reminds me of the work of Ettore Sottsass, who was also interested in the intersection of art, design, and functionality. It's like they're both speaking the same visual language across time, which is exactly the kind of conversation art should be having.