Like his master, he was talented in many fields and remained in contact with his teacher throughout his long career.
Witzmann initially trained as a carpenter, later as an architect and furthermore designed numerous decorative and practical works of art in a variety of materials, from glass to silver. He also produced sets for the theatre.
In 1913 he designed this 6in (16cm) high bowl with under and overlay in opal and dark violet with partially etched decoration. It was commissioned by the Austrian Werkbund, an organisation dedicated to furthering the careers of Austrian artists and craftsmen for which one of the co-founders was Josef Hoffmann.
The bowl, which was executed by the glass factory Joh Loetz Wwe in Klostermühle, one of the largest glass producers of the era, was made as one of the Austrian contributions for the major German Werkbund exhibition in Cologne in 1914. The well-documented connection obviously motivated the bidders, who drove the price from the guide of €6000 to €34,000 (£29,570), making it the most successful lot in the sale.
