Josef Kott, Decorations from Dome Lantern of St Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome – 1885 watercolour painting
Josef Kott, Decorations from Dome Lantern of St Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome – 1885 watercolour painting
Josef Kott, Decorations from Dome Lantern of St Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome – 1885 watercolour painting

Josef Kott Decorations from Dome Lantern of St Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome

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View the full Collection: Josef Kott of Vienna: Interior Design Studies 1885

An original 1885 watercolour painting – Josef Kott, Decorations from Dome Lantern of St Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome.

This exquisite drawing forms part of a collection of interior design studies by the Austrian painter-decorator Josef Kott (fl.1880s/1890s).

The drawing shows decorations from the dome lantern of St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome. There are additional graphite sketches on the verso of the sheet as shown.

Josef Kott ran a Vienna-based company, whose commissions included the interior painting of palaces and theatres across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His contractors included the Künstler-Compagnie workshop artists Gustav Klimt, Ernst Klimt, and Franz Matsch. Kott's work was Historicist in style—heavily referencing styles of the past, such as Classicism and Renaissance painting, translating them into a contemporary grandiose opulence that served the needs of the Habsburg court.

In watercolour with graphite on cream wove paper.

Provenance: Ex Libris Anthony Denning.

+ Read the S&W Collection Research

Josef Kott of Vienna: Interior Design Studies 1885

Josef Kott (fl.1880s/1890s) ran a Vienna-based decorating company, whose commissions included the interior painting of palaces and theatres across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Examples of his work include grand interiors at Peleș Castle in Romania and the magnificent Konzerthaus Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The prevailing architectural style in Vienna in the late 19th century was Historicism, characterised by revival styles like Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Gothic, and Neo-Baroque. Facades and interiors were exceptionally grand and opulent, idealising and reinterpreting past styles to create a contemporary aesthetic that represented the power of the Habsburg Empire.

Josef Kott's commissions were part of this endeavour to enlist artists and craftsmen in the service of this ideology. Kott's firm is thought to have subcontracted the Künstler-Compagnie, the decorative workshop of the Klimt brothers Gustav (1862–1918) and Ernst (1864–1892), and their friend Franz Matsch (1861–1942). Later, Gustav Klimt famously went on to become a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement, his work departing from the academicism of his early decorative employment.

The exquisite Classical and Renaissance design studies in this collection showcase Josef Kott's exceptional talent as a draughtsman, and evidence the historical reference points that were a direct influence in his decorative work.

COA
+ Artwork Details

Dimensions: Height: 22.8cm (8.98") Width: 29cm (11.42")

Presented: Unframed.

Medium: Watercolour

Age: Late 19th-century

Signed: No.

Inscribed: Yes.

Dated: --

Condition: In good condition for its age. The picture may have minor imperfections such as slight marks, toning, foxing, creasing or pinholes, commensurate with age. Please see photos for detail.

Stock number: KD-450