Description
Glass Body with Silver Plated Mounts
From our Glassware collection, we are pleased to offer this Art Nouveau Silver Plate Swan Decanter by WMF. The Decanter of beautiful elongated shape with bulbous glass body and long stem tapered neck with silver plated mounts. The top of the decanter with the Swans face hinged at the mouth to pour claret. The base with a pair of small feathered wings mounted to a scrolling lifted base elevating the bottle from the surface. Stamped to the base of the jug a/s WMFB dating to the early 20th century during the Art Nouveau period circa 1895.
WMF(B) (Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik) is a German tableware manufacturer which was founded in 1853 by Daniel Straub in Geislingen an der Steige a town in Southern Germany. WMF was originally called Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer and was opened as a metal repairing workshop. Through mergers and acquisitions, by 1900 they were the world’s largest producer and exporter of household metalware, mainly in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) style, designed in the WMF Art Studio under Albert Mayer, sculptor and designer, who was director from 1884 to 1914. The B after the hallmark designates the base metal used for silvering and shows that this was made of Britannia Metal, a tin-containing alloy. This hallmark was used between 1886-1903.
A/S Antique silver finish
Silver Plate is a term used when a metal object is coated in a thin layer of silver. The base of the object will be made from a metal such as brass and then a thin layer of Silver is applied to the entire exterior giving it the visual desire of silver. Silver Plate objects contain different hallmarks to Solid Silver and often do not have any hallmarks at all.
Art Nouveau was an international style of art and architecture, especially the decorative arts. It was inspired by natural forms such as the curves of plants and flowers. Other characteristics of Art Nouveau were a sense of dynamism, movement and the use of modern materials particularly iron, glass and ceramics to create unusual forms. It was popular between 1890 and 1910 during the Belle Époque period and before the First World War. It was a reaction against the academic art, eclecticism and historicism of 19th century architecture and decoration.
Measurements 35.5cm High x 13.5cm Wide x 19cm Deep (14 x 5.3 x 7.5 Inches)
Condition Very Good