Collector’s Notebook: Identifying Loetz Austria Glass

Loetz is one of the most famous European glassmakers of the late 19th to early 20th centuries. This vase is from its popular Phänomen line. Image: Rago Auctions.Identifying antique glass isn’t always easy. If you’re lucky, a piece may be marked, like this Phänomen vase, which is signed “Loetz Austria” on its pontil (the spot on the base where the blown molten glass was attached to a pontil for shaping). Proof of its maker, along with its complex shape and silver