Dagobert Peche Viennese Modernist Chandelier circa 1910

“Dagobert Peche was the greatest ornamental genius Austria has produced since the Baroque” - Josef Hoffmann

With the striking presence of this six-armed chandelier by Dagobert Peche, blending the dramatic embellishment of the Baroque with the tones and ridged upwards sweep, rethought in repeating geometric lines that are distinctly Viennese, it is easy to see why Josef Hoffmann spoke so highly of his colleague at the Wienner Werkstätte, where Peche served as Creative Director from 1915 until his death in 1923.

Wide-ranging in his design interests, Peche initially trained as an architect, where the ‘historical-modern’ mixed style of Friedrich Ohmann opened up his approach to ornament and historic forms when he began to focus more on Decorative Arts. With a style that was sometimes described as ‘Spiky Baroque’, Peche’s work remains visually arresting today, and this brilliant and ornate chandelier, constructed from a series of fluted, conical steel forms, shows precisely why he was considered to be a master of ornament, forward-thinking and highly influential in leading a radical new era in design.