Gilded leather wallet

Wiener Werkstätte

ca. 1925–30 · Goat leather, gold hand-printed gilding · Modern and Contemporary Art

Created by Josef Hoffmann and others in the leather department, gilded leather handbags, purses, and wallets became a staple for the Wiener Werkstätte. The gilded leaf, petal, and flower pattern on this wallet exemplifies the richness of applied pattern in the more graphic of the workshop’s designs. Opened in 1911, the fashion department of the Wiener Werkstätte was a concerted effort to expand into clothing, jewelry, and accessories. At the heart of the highly individual style of the workshop’s foray into fashion lay the imaginative fabric designs. This wallet, with a metal clasp, was offered in slightly different models for many years.

Artist

Wiener Werkstätte

Date

ca. 1925–30

Medium

Goat leather, gold hand-printed gilding

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 2020