Volume of plates of designs from the Czech architect and designer Kotera and his school. Octavo (10 3/8 x 7 3/4 inches). Original dark green Art Nouveau boards with stamped red Art Nouveau-style ornaments and text to front cover, with Art Nouveau endpapers. Some pages loosening slightly from binding, overall very good condition. Vienna/Prague: Antonin Schroll/Eduard Gregr, n.d. (1902). Ex-libris bookplate of Architekt Kucera (referring to Stanislav Kucera from Brno, 1889-1963) pasted to inner front boards.

Jan Kotěra (1871-1923) was a Czech architect, furniture designer, artist, and interior designer, and is considered by many to be the father of Czech modernism. He was strongly influenced by the Vienna Secession after studying architecture in Vienna under Otto Wagner. Kotěra returned to Prague in 1897 and began teaching the next generation of Czech architects. He also worked on a number of important buildings including the Museum of Eastern Bohemia in Hradec Králové, Peterka House and the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague, and the "Bata houses" and Bata shoe factory in England.

This volume has one page of introductory text by Kotěra followed by 100 fine plates, some in color, showing designs by Kotěra and his students. There are architectural views, lighting, metalwork, doors, furniture, ornament, inlay, and other interior views and decorative elements, from photographs and drawings. These designs help to illustrate the role that Prague played in the early years of Art Nouveau in Europe.

Scarce; as of June 2024, OCLC locates six holdings in North American institutions.

Book ID: 53211

Price: $1,850.00