In 1906, three years after he had founded the Wiener Werkstätte with Koloman Moser, the multi-talented Austrian Josef Hoffmann designed a silver casket.
One of just two examples ever produced was one of the highlights of the auction at Kinsky (28/20% buyer’s premium) in Vienna on December 3-4. The 7in (19cm) wide hammered silver box, which was executed by the silversmith Josef Wagner, bears a far from coincidental resemblance to a house with a domed roof and fluted walls: Hoffmann trained as an architect and often incorporated architectural elements in his works of art.
In contrast to many of his designs, this box was apparently not one of the particularly successful models marketed by the Wiener Werkstätte.