The Austrian architect and designer, Josef Hoffmann, was a key figure in the Vienna Secession, a group promoting the development of modern design in Austria at the end of the nineteenth century. Their work was characterised by simple linear, cubist design, emphasising luxurious materials and craftsmanship. Hoffmann's coordinated designs for buildings, interiors and objects were among the finest expressions of early European modernism and his work was produced by a number of Austrian glass, ceramic, furniture, metal, jewellery and textile manufacturers.

In this vase, Hoffmann has used traditional Bohemian glass-cutting techniques to emphasise the jewel-like colour of the glass, giving it a dramatic, sculptural presence.