Unique Samovar

The samovar presented here belonged to Baroness Magda Mautner von Markhof. As a member of the well-known industrialists’ family, she came into contact with the Viennese art scene early in life: the Mautner-Markhofs – as representatives along with the Wittgensteins or the Waerndorfers of the wealthy Jewish upper middle class that was assimilated in the second generation – are a typical example of the active interest shown by those families in the artistic achievements of the Vienna Secession. Magda Mautner-Markhof cultivated close friendships with the best-known artists of the Secession: Josef Hoffmann, Gustav Klimt, Kolo Moser, and many others. Together with her sister Ditha, she completed the School of Arts and Crafts in Vienna (now the University of Applied Arts) in 1903 under Alfred Roller. She then studied in Bern under Cuno Amiet and in Paris under Maurice Denise. As a painter, poet and women’s activist, Magda Mautner von Markhof was a major patron and owner of numerous paintings of contemporary art, such as Schiele’s Autumn Tree in Stirred Air (Winter Tree) or Klimt’s oil painting Hope. Klimt also produced two drawings of Madga. Her flat, with décor by Josef Hoffmann and a studio attached, became a social salon frequented by many prominent artist, writers and musicians. The rare piece consists of a large tea kettel worked with fine hammering, with a hinged lid and accompanying stand, decorated with the reduced, square-punched lattice décor typical of the WW. It was commissioned directly by Magda Mautner Markhof herself. An entry in the Wiener Werkstätte commissions book (1) provides evidence of the special provenance, commission history and uniqueness of this samovar:
this piece was actually executed only once, according to the Wiener Werkstätte archive. Stylistically the samovar can be assigned to the early period of the WW, that is, before Kolo Moser joined in 1907, as proven by the design drawings of the MAK. The early phase of the Wiener Werkstätte is characterised by a highly rigorous form of expression in terms of form, and the objects from this period are among the rarest and most sought-after for collectors. A very special story links our gallery to this one-off piece. For many years the tea kettle was owned by the Mautner-Markhof family, up until the 1980s when it became the possession of our gallery and was acquired at the time by a private collector. We are proud after some 40 years to be allowed to present the samovar once again, as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations.
1 Modellband WWMB 30-M-474