Josef Lorenzl (1 September 1892 – 15 August 1950) was an Austrian sculptor and ceramicist of the
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
period, the same era as
Ferdinand Preiss (1882–1943) and
Demetre Chiparus (1886–1947).
Early life
Lorenzl was born on 1 September 1882 in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Austria and died there on 15 August 1950. Little is known about his early years, but more is known about his later life. Lorenzl started his career working at a foundry at the
Vienna Arsenal where he learned the techniques of bronze casting. The Vienna Arsenal was a military storage complex located in the south-eastern part of Vienna.
Career
While at the Vienna Arsenal, Lorenzl produced many
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
and
chryselephantine
Chryselephantine sculpture () is a sculpture made with gold and ivory. Chryselephantine cult statues enjoyed high status in Ancient Greece.
Ancient examples
Chryselephantine statues were built around a wooden frame with thin carved slabs of ...
sculptures, the latter using both bronze and ivory, and captivated by the female form he became famed for his shapely dancing girls with long, elegant legs and closed eyes. These pieces of his were signed "Enzl", "Lor", "R. Lor", "Renz" or "Renzl".
Occasionally the name "Crejo" appears on his pieces, Crejo having been a painter and one of Lorenzl's friends, and who sometimes applied colour to the pieces. These joint works are sought-after items.
The large majority of Lorenzl's figurines were attached to Brazilian green
onyx
Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. ...
plinths.
Lorenzl's talents also extended to being a gifted ceramicist. He produced pieces for
Goldscheider, working from a studio on company grounds. As with his chryselephantine pieces, his ceramic works were in great demand and became the embodiment of the Art Déco period. Famous amongst these is "The Butterfly Girl" after the famous dancer
Niddy Impekoven from the 1920s. Lorenzl also worked for two other Viennese firms, Porzellanfabrik Hertwig & Co. and Keramos Porcelain.
'Keramos' or 'Wiener Kunst-Keramik und Porzellan Manufaktur AG' was founded in 1910 by several disabled war veterans, subsidised by Austria and later became a public company, directed by Otto Köller, and Rudof and Heinrich Wolf. It was located in Schwarze Adlerstiege, while the factory operated from 17 Schleiergasse.
Death
After Lorenzl's death on 15 August 1950, his wife Anna (Njura) Lorenzl, destroyed a large number of his figurines.
Bibliography
* Robert E. Dechant, F. Goldscheider: Goldscheider. Firmengeschichte und Werkverzeichnis. Historismus, Jugendstil, Art Déco, 1950er Jahre. Arnoldsche, Stuttgart 2007, .
References
6
20decoarts.com – Josef Lorenzl Images
External links
''Hickmet Fine Arts''''World Collectors Net''Deco Interiors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorenzl, Josef
Austrian sculptors
Austrian male sculptors
Art Deco sculptors
Austrian ceramists
1892 births
1950 deaths
20th-century ceramists