by Warren Gallé
The end of World War I brought with it the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and as a result, Klostermühle found itself within the fledgling Czechoslovak democracy. Loetz marks after this date no longer have the word Austria – when the country is named, it is Czecho-Slovakia.
The two most commonly found marks from this period are acid stamped:
1.CZECHO-SLOVAKIA within an oval:
These marks are found on the underside of two 1920s era Loetz vases.
One must take care when evaluating these marks – the font on a genuine Loetz mark is quite distinctive. The mark has also been reproduced. One company, the export firm Carl Hosch, used a similar mark – two line CZECHO-SLOVAKIA within an oval:
If one looks closely, though, the differences become obvious. Take some of the characters individually:
LETTER E:
LETTER H:
Letter K:
Letter A:
Takeaway: Consider the glass as well as the mark, but if there is a question, examine the mark carefully – details matter.
2.Made in Czech Slovakia within a square:
This mark is acid-stamped and can be very hard to see, as it is usually fairly small and quite faint. The font on these marks is also distinctive and consistent.
Other marks and labels after 1918:
3) Cameo Glass marks that are "etched in relief":
Also found with the spelling “Velez” and in different fonts. Possibly a fantasy name derived from the French translation of Loetz Witwe – VEuve LoEtZ. Below are examples of the Veles & Velez marks:
4) Cameo glass marks "etched" on the wall of the vessel.
Earlier pieces made for J. Jouve have been found with the "Richard" mark etched on the wall of the vase:
For more cameo examples that bear these marks see the Cameo décor page on Loetz.com: https://www.loetz.com/decors-a-z/cameo
6) OTHER MARKS:
This mark, made with etching ink, is used only on glassware shown at the exhibition of the Genossenschaft Bildender Künstler Österreichs (Cooperative of Austrian Artists) in October 1929. Found on works by Otto Prutscher and others. A black & white photo of a signed example is found in Lötz Böhmisches Glas 1880-1940 (Ricke Band I), plate 384. Color examples of this décor are found in the English version (Cantz), plate 240
This variation of the Czecho-Slovakia mark, made with etching ink in script on either one or two lines, is most commonly found on Tango pieces from the late 1920s or 1930s, and most commonly on Ausfühurng 166.
PAPER LABELS:
Embossed paper label, black ink on a gold background. The ram on the label is taken from the von Spaun family coat of arms. According to the Glasmarken Lexikon, by Carolus Hartmann, a variation exists with the word “KLOSTERMÜHLE” instead of “LÖTZ”. Used from the 1920s probably until the firm’s closure in the late 1930s. See actual example pictured below:
Another gummed paper label, used concurrently with the “Ram” label – (1920s to late 1930s) – found with a white edge and white letters on a black background, or black writing on a gold background. See actual example below:
Richard paper label
Acknowledgements: The information found in this article comes from many different sources, both written and electronic, as well as the author’s own collection. For further reading, see www.loetz.com, of course, as well as the following publications:
- Lötz Böhmisches Glas 1880-1940, Band 1 (Werkmonographie) and Band 2 (Katalog der Musterschnitte), Prestel, Ricke
- Loetz Bohemian Glass 1880-1940, Neue Galerie, Hatje Cantz
- Das Böhmische Glas 1700-1950, Band VI Art Deco – Moderne, Passauer Glasmuseum
- Glasmarken Lexikon 1600-1945 Europa und Nordamerika – Signaturen, Fabrik –und Handelsmarken, Arnoldsche, Carolus Hartmann
- Loetz Austria Glass 1905-1918, Waltraud Neuwirth
