Paul Laszlo Rare Art Deco Enameled Sterling Cigarette Case c.1925
PAUL LÁSZLÓ (1900-1993) Austria / USA
MARIA ROTT (enamel) Vienna, Austria
Enameled sterling cigarette case c.1925
Hand painted foil backed and colorful fired enamel scene with a figure and a flowering plant all within a red enamel border on sterling
Marks: Paul Laszlo (on inside edge, rubbed), RS in a cartouche (Vienna maker’s mark), STERLING
H: 4″ x W: 3″ x D: 3/8″
Matching enamel dresser set by Paul Laszlo illustrated: “Kunsthandwerk” Band 62, Heft 5, February 1930
Born in Budapest, the architect Paul Laszlo studied in Vienna, Paris and Berlin before setting up an office in Vienna. By 1927, Laszlo had moved to Stuttgart where he quickly made a name for himself across Europe. In 1936, he relocated to Beverly Hills, California, which had become a haven for many artists and designers seeking artistic freedom. There he quietly found work designing modern homes and interiors, often for Hollywood celebrities. Laszlo created textiles, lamps, as well as custom furniture for his modernist homes and corporate interiors. His comfortable, yet elegant designs pay tribute to the modern luxury and easy livability of the early to mid 20th Century interiors of Vienna.
This enamel on sterling case really is one of the very best fired enamel examples of its type. It has a wonderful range of beautifully toned and colored enamel with foil backing in some areas which also gives it extra luminosity and metallic glow. It is in perfect condition and the detail and masterful artistic quality of the painting is also extremely fine and exquisitely rendered.
It has all the style and characteristics of the accomplished Neue Shachlichkeit (or New Realism / Objectivity) painting style Laszlo would have been familiar with and exposed to either in Berlin or Stuttgart as well as the New Realism style in Vogue in Vienna, where Laszlo also worked in the 1920’s. Considering the difficulty in controlling fired enamel, this exceptional Laszlo enameled case is a bargain by comparison of the price per square inch of a comparable painting on canvas such as a Christian Schad or Otto Dix! In fact, paintings are vastly more simple to execute and immediately rendered by comparison to a fired enamel “painting” on sterling like this exceptional case which would require a very lengthy and tedious process to accomplish a work of this caliber.
Paul Laszlo left Germany for America in 1936 and established a successful design firm in Beverly Hills, became an American citizen and lived happily in Southern California for the rest of his life.
Margaret De Patta (1903-1964) Modernist asymmetric sterling ring set with twenty square cut sapphires (approx. 9 carats TW ), signed: DePatta, Chevron mark of MDP, Sterling, c.1947
Tommi Parzinger, Sterling and enamel pedestal centerpiece bowl on an attached square base with a frog, lily pad and fish motif as part of the overall enamel design c. 1938
TOMMI PARZINGER (1903-1981) Germany/USA
WILLIAM STARK / KARL DRERUP Enamel
PETER REIMES Silversmith
Sterling and enamel pedestal centerpiece bowl on an
attached square base with a frog, lily pad and fish motif as part of the
overall enamel design c. 1938
Tommi Parzinger, Sterling silver coffee pot with meandering floral and leaf design, ebony handle and finial detail c. 1938
TOMMI PARZINGER (1903-1972) Germany / USA
PETER ALBERT REIMES Silversmith (1900-1945) Germany / USA
Modernist Coffee pot c. 1938
Hand wrought sterling silver with meandering floral and leaf design, ebony handle and finial detail
Marks: Designed by Parzinger (in script), hand made, sterling (in script), P*R monogram (initials mark of Peter Reimes)
Model illustrated: LIFE Magazine November 20, 1939
For more information on Tommi Parzinger see: Town & Country, Vol. 54, “Counter Points”, December 1939, p. 31; Town & Country, Vol. 95, “Counter Points”, June 1940, p. 19; The Studio, 1938, “For the Table”, p.107-09; The Studio, 1942, “Tommi Parzinger, Designer of Modern Interiors and Silver”, p.37; Decorative Art, Studio Yearbook (London & New York: The Studio Publications, 1952-53), p. 98; Craft in the Machine Age, ed. Janet Kardon (New York: American Craft Museum, 1995) p.128, 134, 183, 241, Arts and Decoration, June 1940
H: 9 ¼” x W: 6 ½” x D: 3 ¾”
Paul Brandt, Paris Art Deco “Zig Zag” cigarette case in sterling with champlevé black enamel zig zags on both sides of the case, signed: S A M initials in a triangle French maker’s poincon, French Boar’s head Paris silver assay mark for small objects (2x), London import mark with a London Zodiac sign of Leo (3x), .925 (silver standard) (4x) and the London letter M date mark for 1927 (3x), no. 18347 (2x), British touchmark of a G and an F in a rectangle, C.B.F initials and the date 7-1928 (script engraving), c.1925
Wolfgang Gessl Unique sterling silver Arc pitcher with acrylic handle 1990
WOLFGANG GESSL (b. 1949) Austria
Arc pitcher – unique 1990
Hand wrought silver in a rounded arching form with a cylindrical luminous yellow-green acrylic handle
Marks: Wolfgang Gessl (script impressed signature), WO.GE (in a rectangle), Swedish assay mark for Stockholm, 925 (silver guarantee in a rectangle), Q10 (in a rectangle)
Illustrated: Gold and Silversmith Wolfgang Gessl: Exceeding Geometry, Kerstin Wickman, p. 17, cover.
H: 13 1/2″ x W: 10 ¼” x D: 4 ½”
Price: $27,500
Wolfgang Gessl was born in 1949 in Vienna, Austria and trained as a goldsmith with Professor Hans Angerbauer. Upon moving to Sweden, Gessl studied under the eminent silversmith Sigurd Persson at Konstfack, the National University of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm, Sweden.
Wolfgang Gessl has had fifteen solo exhibitions including shows at The National Museum, Stockholm and The Royal College of Art in London. His metalwork has been widely exhibited in Sweden, Europe and the U.S and his pieces can be found in many private collections throughout the world. He has taught at Konstfack for more than twenty-four years, and continues to live and work in Stockholm.
Ane Christensen Contemporary British Sterling Silver Bowl 1999
ANE CHRISTENSEN (b.1972) born in Copenhagen, Denmark/ based in London, UK
Bowl 1999
Sterling silver
Marks: AKC, 925, Z, British hallmarks
H: 2 ½” x L: 12”
Price: $5,950
The starting point for all of metalworker Ane Christensen’s tableware is a single sheet of metal. Her aim is to develop a three dimensional object from a flat sheet without adding or removing any elements. Japanese paper packaging influences Ane’s work, but a more important influence is the half finished or half demolished structures of building sites that she says can hold unexpected sculptural qualities.
Ane graduated from the Royal College of Art and has since been involved in exhibitions in London, Denmark and Copenhagen, including more recently at Collect, V&A.
Ane makes pieces in a variety of metals including silver, stainless steel and powder coated copper.
PER SAX MOLLER / Scandinavian Modern Sterling sculptural centerpiece 2000
PER SAX MØLLER (b. 1950) Denmark
Round sculptural centerpiece with geometrical shapes 2000
Sterling silver
Marks: PER SAX MØLLER, Copenhagen, 925s, Sterling
Exhibited: Danske Sølsmede-nye arbejder (Danish silversmiths-new work), Museet på Koldingshus, 2002.
Diameter: 8 ¼”
Price: $12,500
The silversmith Per Sax Møller was trained in the Danish silver tradition with Jeweler to the Royal Danish Court, A. Michelsen, from 1968-1972. The workshop specialized in style copies and modern silver, which during the 1900’s was designed by architects such as Thorvald Bindesbøll, Kay Fisker, Erik Herløw, Tove and Edvard Kint-Larsen, among many others.
After completing his apprenticeship, he worked at Preben Salomonsen’s workshop in Copenhagen, mainly creating style copies for stores such as Tiffany, Bloomingdale’s and Aspery. Here, the ancient silversmith’s craft he had learned at A. Michelsen, was further honed. During the years 1973-1975, he attended classes at Guldsmedehøjskolen, but he was disappointed in the low standard of teaching and therefore did not graduate.
He found the opportunity for a far richer artistic education as a conscientious objector, stationed at the art museum Louisiana in Humlebæk, outside Copenhagen. He spent more than a year here, surrounded by the works of Henry Moore, Arp, Calder, Laurent and Danish artists such as Astrid Noack, Ejler Bille, Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Villy Ørskov and many more, which left a deep and profound mark.
In 1976, Per Sax Møller established himself in a workshop alongside goldsmith Jørgen Bindesbøll, in St. Kongensgade in Copenhagen. Over the next couple af years, he also joined the association “Danske Sølvsmede” in exhibitions throughout Scandivavia. He retired from the workshop with Jørgen Bindesbøll in 1980, but continued to create works in rented space. To help earn a living, he drove a city bus and worked for Folketeateret in Copenhagen, creating theatre sets.
Jørgen Bindesbøll moved to Møn in 1984, and Per Sax Møller took over his workshop in St. Kongensgade. Soon thereafter, he established himself in a workshop in Pilestræde, Copenhagen, and then in 1992, he took over silversmith Kay Bojesen’s workshop in Bredgade 47, where he resides today.
In the mid 1990’s Per Sax Møller rejoins “Danske Sølvsmede”, and in 1999 he succeeds silversmith Ib Andersen as president of the association. As president, he revitalizes Danish silver by initiating the exhibition Danish Silver 2000, which takes up most of the space in the museum Koldinghus and becomes one of the largest manifestations of Danish silver. During one summer month, the exhibition was visited by 30,000 guests.
In 2002, Per Sax Møller resigns the presidency of “Danske Sølvsmede” to once again concentrate on his own works. Per Sax Møller has received Danish State Arts Foundation grant in 1979, 1997, 2000 and 2002. His works are represented at Oslo Museum of Art and Design, Danish Museum of Art and Design, at the museum Koldinghus and in private collections in Europe, USA and Canada.
Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Rare Sterling and Opal caviar server 1904
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & COMPANY London, UK
Cymric tri-handled covered server 1904
Sterling silver with repoussé Celtic knot motifs and three buttress handles; the handle of the domed lid inset with a jelly opal, cylindrical crystal bowl.
Marks: No. 5199, Liberty & Co., CYMRIC and Birmingham assay marks for 1904 (all the marks appear both on the underside of the base and on the cover)
Archibald Knox / Liberty & Co. Sterling hand mirror 1908
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) UK
LIBERTY & CO. London, UK
Hand mirror 1908
Sterling with large matrix cabochon turquoise
Marks: L & Co. cipher, Birmingham assay marks for 1908
Similar works with turquoise Illustrated: Archibald Knox, ed. by Stephen A. Martin (London: Academy Editions, 1995) ; Liberty Design 1874-1914, Barbara Morris (London: Pyramid Books, 1989) p. ; The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co., A.J. Tilbrook (London: Ornament Press Ltd., 1976)
American Art Deco Reed & Barton Sterling candlesticks 1928
REED & BARTON (active 1824 – present) Taunton, MA
Candlesticks 1928
Sterling silver with Hoffmann-like fluted base and bobêches with undulating stem and palm leaf like terminating detail.
Marks: eagle R (in a shield) lion, Sterling, 1000, cement reinforced, eagle (date mark for 1928).
Model illustrated: Vanity Fair (Dec. 1928, Vol. 31), p. 120., Reed & Barton Vintage Catalog, p. 10, plate number 1000.
For more information on Reed & Barton see: Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, Dorothy T. Rainwater (West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1986), p. 156-160.
Black Starr & Frost American Art Nouveau Sterling Mounted Jewelry Box c.1900
BLACK STARR & FROST New York, NY
Art Nouveau Sterling and Mahogany Jewelry Box c.1900
Mahogany jewelry box with thick sterling silver decorative graphic mountings in an elaborate Art Nouveau whiplash design, original key
Marks: Eagle mark (Company logo) BLACK STARR & FROST, Sterling
For more information see: American Jewelry Manufacturers, Dorothy T. Rainwater (West Chester, Penn.: Schiffer, 1988)
H: 4 1/2″ x W: 10 1/2″ x D: 7″
SOLD
One of America’s oldest fine jewelers, Black, Starr and Frost traces its roots to 1810. In that year, Erastus Barton and Frederick Marquand opened Marquand and Barton near New York’s Maiden Lane. The firm added and lost partners numerous times and it also frequently moved locations in accordance with the addresses of its prestigious clientele. Its merchandise was eclectic and greatly varied including, lamps, jewelry, paintings, porcelain, and artistic objects. In 1876, the firm changed its name from Black, Ball, and Co. to Black, Starr, and Frost, and moved to 251 Fifth Avenue. Its inventory became focused on jewelry and silver objects, some imported from Europe, some produced in-house. For many decades, the renowned jewelry house, Black, Starr, and Frost was considered one of the great American jewelers. In 1876, it was invited to exhibit at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia along with renowned firms like Tiffany & Company, Whiting, and Gorham. In 1939, the firm was one of five American jewelers invited to exhibit at the New York’s World’s Fair. In 1929, it merged with Gorham to become Black, Starr, Frost – Gorham.
Martele Gorham / American Art Nouveau Handwrought Sterling Kettle-on-Stand c.1903
GORHAM MFG. CO SILVERSMITHS Providence, RI
FINN ERICHSEN (Maker)
WILLIAM T. THOMPSON (Chaser)
SPAULDING & CO (Retailer) Chicago, IL
Kettle-on-stand c. 1903
Completely specially handwrought sterling silver in an overall organic form with highly stylized vines and blossom motifs with cutout details on the base. Bone spacers and finial for burner handle. Approx. silver weight is 66 troy ounces.
Marks for kettle: Gorham Martele touchmarks, 950 – 1000
FINE, F R U, SPAULDING & CO., CHICAGO, SE (Script signature)
Marks for burner: Gorham Martele touchmarks, 950 – 1000 FINE, P F, SPAULDING & CO., CHICAGO
Staffan Nilsson / Scandinavian Modern Sterling Pitcher 1992
STAFFAN NILSSON (b. 1949) Sweden
Pitcher 1992
Sterling silver, red acrylic
Marks: SNN P 925 S10
Staffan Nilsson’s work was included in the exhibition “Form and Function, Contemporary Swedish Silver,” the Swedish American Museum, Chicago, Oct. 12 – December 2, 2000.
H: 11 ½ “
Price: $8,000
*** A related teapot in sterling silver with a red acrylic handle can be found in the permanent collection of the Shanghai Museum and it is an innovative use red acrylic and sterling silver.
Karl Schmidt / Hagenauer Werkstätte Sterling nude sculpture c. 1965
KARL SCHMIDT (b. 1948) Vienna
HAGENAUER WERKSTÄTTE Vienna
Sculpture c. 1965
Handwrought sterling silver repoussé in the form of a nude with blowing hair
Marks: SCHMIDT WIEN MADE IN AUSTRIA 925 (silver standard) KS (artist initials)
For more information see: Metallkunst, Karl H. Bröhan (Berlin: Bröhan Museum, 1990) pp. 200-205; Werkstätte Hagenauer 1898-1956, (Vienna: Österreiches Museum für angewandte Kunst).
Guttierez Vega / South American Art Deco Sterling Modernist Coffee / Tea Set c. 1935
GUTTIEREZ VEGA (active 1930s) Bogotá, Columbia
Four-piece modernist coffee / tea set c. 1935
Radical form cone and triangular shaped four piece sterling silver with bold design exotic handles.
Marks: T.A.N. Sterling (Maker’s mark), serial number F925
Coffee pot H: 5″ x L: 10 1/2″
Teapot H: 4 3/8″ x L: 10 1/2″
Creamer H: 3″ x L: 8″
Sugar bowl H: 4 1/2″ x L: 7 3/4″
In the 1930s, Colombia began to embrace modern and Art Deco architecture. The new Liberal Party government tore down many older buildings to reject the conservative past. In their place, it constructed modern buildings with an international flavor and interiors and decorative arts were designed to complement these newly stylized buildings.
Wolfgang Gessl / Scandinavian Modern Sterling silver teapot with arching handle 1990
WOLFGANG GESSL (b. 1949) Austria / Sweden
Teapot 1990
Hand wrought and hand hammered spherical silver teapot with cylindrical handle and spout elements, maple and padouk wood layered arching handle
This is No. 2 out of the edition of 3 models.
Marks: Wolfgang Gessl (script impressed signature), 2/3, WO.GE (in a rectangle), Swedish assay mark for Stockholm, 925 (silver guarantee in a rectangle), E11 (in a rectangle), LF
Exhibited: Glänsande Geometri, Mettalum, Stockholm, Sweden
Illustrated: Gold and Silversmith Wolfgang Gessl: Exceeding Geometry, Kerstin Wickman, p. 16.
H: 10” x W: 16 ½” x D: 5 ½”
Price: $32,000
Wolfgang Gessl was born in 1949 in Vienna, Austria and trained as a goldsmith with Professor Hans Angerbauer. Upon moving to Sweden, Gessl studied under the eminent silversmith Sigurd Persson at Konstfack, the National University of Art, Craft and Design in Stockholm, Sweden.
Wolfgang Gessl has had fifteen solo exhibitions including shows at The National Museum, Stockholm and The Royal College of Art in London. His metalwork has been widely exhibited in Sweden, Europe and the U.S and his pieces can be found in many private collections throughout the world. He has taught at Konstfack for more than twenty-four years, and continues to live and work in Stockholm.
Tiffany & Co. / Albert Barney American Art Deco sterling demitasse pot 1936
ALBERT BARNEY (? -1955) American
JOHN C. MOORE (1907-1947) New York
TIFFANY & COMPANY (1868-) New York
“Century Modern” chocolate or demitasse pot 1936
Handwrought sterling silver, fiber handle and finial
Stamped: TIFFANY & Co. MAKERS, 22172 (pattern/date system number), 5244(order number), STERLING SILVER, 925-1000, m (John C. Moore, designer), 5 GILLS
For a related modernist service and information about Century Modern silver exhibited at the 1939 New York World’s Fair see: Tiffany Silver, Charles H. Carpenter, Jr. (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1978) pp. 256, 259-261
For more information see: Tiffany Silver, Charles H. Carpenter, Jr. (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1978) pp. 256, 259-261; Modernism: Modernist Design 1880-1940, The Norwest Collection, Norwest Corporation, Minneapolis, Alastair Duncan (Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: The Antique Collector’s Club, 1998), p. 240.
Jean E. Puiforcat / French Art Deco Sterling Box c.1930
JEAN E. PUIFORCAT (1897-1945) France
ORFÈVRERIE PUIFORCAT Paris, France
Sterling silver with sterling and bone gear-like finial detail
Marks: JEAN E. PUIFORCAT, French Guarantee mark for 950/1000 pure silver, E.P. insignia (Emile Puiforcat)
For related works of Puiforcat see: Jean Puiforcat, Françoise de Bonneville (Paris: Editions du Regard, 1986) p.171; Jean Puiforcat: Orfèvre Sculpteur (Paris: Flammarion,1951).
H: 3 1/4″ x Dia: 3 1/2″
Jean E. Puiforcat is the most famous name of Art Deco silverwork. This is a gently tapered round footed and covered box of beautiful form and proportion with a contoured gear-like bone and silver finial. Overall it is a signature example of French Art Deco silver and dates from the late 1920’s and bears the early mark of Jean E. Puiforcat spelled out in addition to all of the appropriate French silver standard touchmarks. It is a really perfect example of French Art Deco silver by the French master of them all, Puiforcat!
Gorham Sterling “Exotic” Tea and Coffee Set in Original Presentation Chest 1880
GORHAM MFG. CO SILVERSMITHS Providence, RI
“Exotic” tea and coffee set in original Gorham presentation chest 1880
Sterling silver 5-piece service with “butler” finish, bright-cut chasing and repoussé surface in the Far Eastern exotic style with elephant trunk spouts and handle forms, tent-like splayed lids, interior gilding, engraved conjoined initials, bone spacers in the original deep teal velvet-covered presentation chest with hot pink silk- satin interior
Marks: Gorham marks, STERLING, 1560, “M” (date mark for 1880)
Lid of case interior stamped in gold: Gorham Mfg. Co., Sterling Silver, Union Square, NY
For related pieces and further information see: Gorham Silver 1831-1981, Charles H. Carpenter, Jr., Chapter 6, “Innovation and Fantasy”, p. 94-121 (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1982); In Pursuit of Beauty: Americans and the Aesthetic Movement, Chapter 8,“Metalwork: An Eclectic Aesthetic” by David Hanks, p.253-294 (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Rizzoli, 1987); Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor, Charles L. Venable, Chapter 6, “Consumption and Design” p.123-204, (New York: Dallas Museum of Art, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995).
Whiting American Sterling Koi Theme “Japonisme” Serving Bowl and Servers c.1880
WHITING MANUFACTURING CO. North Attleboro, MA
“Koi” serving bowl with matching servers c. 1880
Sterling silver serving bowl and matching servers with applications of Koi fish behind nets, gilt interior
Marks: on base: lion with W in oval (manufacturer’s insignia), STERLING, 2124A, J.E. CALDWELL & CO. (retailer)
H: 4 3/8″ x Dia: 9 3/4″
In 1840 Albert Tifft and William Whiting started their business in North Attleboro, MA as a jewelry manufacturing company and then in 1866 created the Whiting Mfg. Co. and expanded production into small holloware as well. The Gorham Company bought Whiting in 1926 and all operations were then moved to Providence, R.I.
George Richards Elkington British Sterling Trompe L’Oeil Covered Box 1854
George Richards Elkington (1801-1865)
Trompe L’Oeil Box 1854
Sterling silver shallow box with a hinged lid of a life-size trompe l’oeil damask napkin neatly folded on a gilt-sterling Georgian dinner plate
Weight: 45 troy ounces
Marks: GRE makers mark, London hallmarks for 1854
Dominick & Haff New York Grand Sterling “Grape” Theme Centerpiece Bowl 1883
DOMINICK & HAFF (active 1872-1928) USA
W. H. GLENNY & SONS CO. (retailer, New York City)
Impressive Grape and Vine centerpiece bowl 1883
An exceptional and impressive sterling hand wrought “Grape” theme centerpiece bowl by Dominick and Haff (active 1872-1928) , 1883 and retailed by W. H. Glenny & Sons Co. (retailer, New York City)
Elaborate hand hammered, chased and repousse sterling silver bowl with applied grape branch handles and very deep three dimensional hand repousse grape clusters, leaves and vines, all against a background of graduating honey comb pattern hammer tone marks, original lemon-yellow gold interior, approx. weight: 90 ounces
Marks: Dominick and Haff makers mark incorporating the date 1883, W. H. Glenny Sons & Co. (retailer), 355A, STERLING
H: 6 1/2″ x Dia: 18″
The New York silver firm known today as ‘Dominick & Haff’ originally began with the name ‘William Gale & Son’ in 1862. It went through a series of ownership and name changes to become Dominick & Corning in 1867, Gale and Corning in 1869, Gale Dominick & Haff in 1870 and Dominick & Haff in 1872. In 1929, Dominick & Haff was purchased by the silversmith/ manufacturing company of Reed & Barton of Taunton Massachusetts.
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