Table Lamp, Model No. M0040, circa 1907

The present table lamp was designed by Josef Hoffmann in 1903 and exemplifies the artist’s early exploration of geometric clarity and modernist refinement within the context of the Wiener Werkstätte. It demonstrates his characteristic fusion of architectural discipline and functional elegance.
Notably, one of the purchasers of this design was Dr. Hermann Wittgenstein, a member of the illustrious Viennese family whose patronage profoundly shaped Hoffmann’s career and the development of the Wiener Werkstätte. The Wittgensteins, among the most important supporters of Viennese modernism, commissioned interiors, furnishings, and decorative objects from Hoffmann and his collaborators and their support enabled Hoffmann to experiment with materials, scale, and proportion in ways that defined the aesthetic of early twentieth-century Austrian design.
This lamp is thus not only a refined example of Hoffmann’s design vocabulary but also a testament to the crucial role of enlightened patronage in the flourishing of Viennese modernism. It embodies the intersection of visionary artistry and forward-looking support that allowed the Wiener Werkstätte to realize its most ambitious interiors and decorative ensembles.