OBJECTS Interiors and the Art of Furniture Design Match stand, 1904 Franta Anýž (1876–1934), Prague Bronze, cast, chased; height 10.2 cm This match stand decorated with embossed oak foliage and acorns was created by Franta Anýž, who had trained in the Komárov Ironworks and later studied at the School of Applied Arts in Prague where he attended the studios headed by Celda Klouček and Emanuel Novák. Founded in 1900 under the name Art Studio for Industrial Metalwork, the Franta Anýž Company became one of the most distinguished metalworking firms in the history of the Czech art industry. This piece dates from Anýž’s early creative period when he specialised in jewellery-making and metalwork decorated with distinctly Art Nouveau floral and plant-inspired motifs.