Product Description
Dong or Meow People / Spiral silver counterweight 20th Century

DONG OR MEOW PEOPLE Southern China
Spiral counterweight early 20th century
Handwrought silver (Dutch coin silver) with custom stand
H: 10 ¼” x W: 5 1/4” x D: 2 ¾” (dimensions on stand)
These beautifully dynamic spiral objects were worn on the back to support a ceremonial apron worn across the front.
Dong or Meow People / Spiral silver counterweight 20th Century
MITZI OTTEN-FRIEDMANN (1884-1955) Austria
WIENER WERKSTÄTTE (1903-1932)
Brooch c. 1915
Reverse-painted glass depicting a couple set in a silver frame / back
Marks: M. OTTEN-FRIEDMANN on the front (right), the reverse stamped: WW, Vienna assay mark for 900 silver
D: 2 3/8”
Rosalia Marie Friedmann-Otten (“Mitzi”) * November 28, 1884 Vienna, † May 5, 1955 New York, NY
Student at the School of Applied Arts in Vienna (with Oskar Strnad), Friedmann-Otten participated in numerous exhibitions (including art shows in 1908, 1920; Neukunstgruppe 1909; German Women’s Art in 1925; Werkbundausstellung 1930). Member of the Austrian Werkbund, the Wiener Werkstätte and the Neukunstgruppe. One of the most versatile artists (commercial art, metalwork, jewelry, fashion, starting from 1920 mainly enamel works, including large-scale email pictures), Friedmann-Otten had to flee in 1938 to the United States.
JOHN GUTMANN (1905-1998) USA
D.O.S. Apology 1938
Signed: 290.6, M 3 (in a circle), 5, © John Gutmann, SP, D.O.S. Apology 1938 (all in pencil on back of photo)
Framed size: H: 12 1/8“ x W: 14 3/8”
John Gutmann was a German-born American photographer and painter. After fleeing Nazi Germany to the United States, Gutmann acquired a job as a photographer for various German magazines. Gutmann quickly took an interest in the American way of life and sought to capture it through the lense of his camera. He especially took an interest in the Jazz music scene. Gutmann is recognized for his unique “worm’s-eye view” camera angle. He enjoyed taking photos of ordinary things and making them seem special.His work was shown in important galleries such as Castelli’s in NYC, Fraenkel in San Francisco, and the Centre National de la Photographie in Paris. After his death, Gutmann’s oeuvre was given to the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.