Drinking set, Series "B"

With an eye that favoured strict geometric shapes, Josef Hoffmann was in many ways anticipatory of the cubist movement. His fondness for the square was so well-known that the architect and designer earned the nickname Quadrati-Hoffmann (Square Hoffman) among his peers. Perhaps one of the finest examples of Hoffmann’s aesthetic principles is the Series "B" glasses, produced with the iconic glassmaker Lobmeyr. The elegantly styled, round glass objects are made by blowing the glass into a beechwood mould. The result is a glass with remarkably thin walls, which has been dubbed “muslin” because of its likeness to the eponymous French fabric. The glass is etched with columns and rows of black lines that lend the pieces a classical feel. The original collection debuted at the Werkbund Exhibition of 1914 in Cologne, Germany.

The Lobmeyr company was founded in 1823 by Josef Lobmeyr (1792-1855). When his sons acquired the company, they renamed it J. & L. Lobmeyr, named after Joseph, who became the marketing director, and Louis, who managed the art department. The family-owned company developed professional relationships with Bohemian glassworks and glass making companies; it is still active and has its main store in Vienna.