AUCTION FINDS OF THE WEEK- NOVEMBER 4TH: ALL THAT GLITTERS...PART III

by Kelly Keating on 11/03/13

Like All That Glitters...Part I and Part II, this week's auction finds focus on silver.  And like last week's post these chosen lots are more accessible in terms of price to the average buyer than the very high end items discussed in Part I.  This week, however, will solely focus on silverplate pieces from 3 different auction houses rather than sterling objects.  Silverplate is a wonderful substitute for sterling and certainly can be more affordable.  With any object you wish to purchase, condition is everything especially for silverplate items.  Pass on pieces with bad plate loss (where the silver has worn away and the base metal is showing) and/or corrossion.  Replating can be done, but it is very expensive and will usually cost more than the object's true value.  Another similar item is sure to come along soon.  If you have a very unusual or rare object or something sentimental or a family piece, then replating might be an option.  (Contact me if you need a piece of silver replated.  I know and have used several wonderful platers.)

This week's first auction discovery is a "Special Line" Cubist silverplate 3 piece coffee set circa 1929-1931 which is lot 288 to be auctioned off at Freeman's in Philadelphia on November 15, 2013 with a pre-sale estimate of $800-1,200.  The set is comprised of a coffeepot, a twin handled open sugar and a creamer.  The coffeepot and the creamer have a geometric chased design of right angles and intersecting arcs.  The set was designed by Albert Feinauer for the Barbour Silver Co. in Hartford, CT.   

In the late 1920s, the International Silver Company hired a new designer, Weimar emigre Albert Feinauer (German, 1886-1955). Before moving to the United States, Feinauer taught metalwork at the School of Arts and Crafts founded by Henry van de Velde. He later became a designer for Georg Jensen in Copenhagen before returning to Weimar where he opened his own jewelry studio.  

Feinauer's 'Special Line' of silverplate holloware, was made by the Barbour Silver Company, a division of International that was introduced in 1929. The Special Line incorporates post WWI German Bauhaus styles, and the chased ornament on the coffee pot and creamer is reminiscent of the work of Cubist artists who used right-angle steps, arcs, and parallel-lines in their work. This type of ornament, as opposed to triangles and other angular shapes, is rare in American design before 1930.

I think this coffee set is quite stylish and chic.  It would look wonderful in a modern setting whether Art Deco or Danish Mid-century modern.  The set is also an example of how silverplate designs can be much more radical and forward thinking than a sterling example.  An item produced in sterling is much more costly to produce and is much less with a silverplate piece.  With the Feinaur coffee set, Barbour Silver could take a chance on a bold new design without breaking the bank.

The next find this week is also being auctioned off at Freeman's on November 15, 2013 and it is completely opposite in its aesthetic to the Feinauer coffee set.  Lot 54 is a pair of late 19th century silverplate 6 branch 7 light candelabra in the manner of Odiot with a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-5,000.  The pair stands an impressive 23" tall.  From the central standard issues six acanthus-capped arms terminating in bobeches with drip pans.  All is raised on circular base and the whole is decorated with lion's masks, bellflowers, and strap work.

Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot (1763–1850) was a French silversmith working in a neoclassical style.  He famously made the cradle for Napoleon's son the King of Rome.  Though made well after Odiot the candelabra at Freeman's have all the neoclassical hallmarks in its decoration such as acanthus leaves, lion's masks and bell flowers.  This pair would create an impressive presence on a large dining room table in both a traditional room or one that was simpler, not exactly modern, but more clean and streamlined.

The next 4 lots in this week's finds are all being auctioned at Quittenbaum Kunstauktion in Munich, Germany on November 5, 2013.  The first item in Munich is lot 554, a set of ten silverplate whimsical knife rests in the shapes of animals by the French firm of Christofle, circa 1925 with a pre-sale estimate of $675-800.  Knife rests are an interesting tabletop article.  They would make a wonderful collecting category.  Simply put, one places a used and dirty knife on the rest to prevent the soiling of the tablecloth.  Apparently, they were "invented" in the late 17th or early 18th century, but were probably going out of fashion by the time Christofle made these animal ones in the 20's.  In French they are called porte couteaux.  In this lot there is a peacock, a rabbit, a duck, a dove, a lion, a swordfish, 3 dogs and what I think is a crane.  Their bodies are wonderfully stylized comprised of soft angular lines.  They just scream Art Deco.  Bring back the knife rest!

The second lot from Munich is also by the French firm, Christofle.  Lot 555 is a silverplate tea set with tray c.1928 in a wonderful Art Deco manner with a pre-sale estimate of $1,600-1,890.  The set is comprised of a tray with mahogany handles, a teapot with a mahogany handle and finial, a creamer with mahogany handle and a lidded sugar with a mahogany finial.  Stylish and chic, this piece would work well in any interior.  I love the contrast between the deep, warm mahogany and the shiny, cool silverplate.

The third German find is another piece of French silverplate by an unknown maker.  Lot 568 is fashionable silverplate pen holder with a stepped chevron base with engine turning with a pre-sale estimate of $400-540.  Made circa 1925 it has a wonderful Art Deco expression and would make a lovely gift.

The final find from Munich is lot 632, a silverplate liquor set circa 1905 by WMF (Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik) with a pre-sale estimate of $940-1,080.  The set consists of a carafe, 6 glasses and a tray.  It is beautifully decorated in the Art Nouveau style with reductive floral motif which is placed in round cartouches on both the carafe and the glasses.  The tray has a nice hexagonal shape with round cutouts crossed by 2 parallel bands.  A smart piece for entertaining!

This week's final treasure is a later 19th century soup tureen and cover that is being auctioned at Leslie Hindman in Chicago on November 7, 2013.  Lot 463 has a pre-sale estimate of $600-800.  The tureen has 2 stag head handles and what appears to be an antelope finial on the cover.  Both the body and the lid are engraved with stylized flowers and leaves and the whole stands on fantastic deer? hoof feet.  The tureen measures a nice 16.75" from handle to handle.  This item of course is for a very specialized buyer, namely someone like me who is not afraid of objects that may appear to be "old-fashioned".  Such a tureen would look fantastic on my sideboard and the hoof feet would speak to the hoof feet of my Aesthetic Movement stool.

The Aesthetic deer foot stool with antique fabric in my drawing room.

I hope this week's discoveries inspire the design of your own space.  I hope too that I have convinced you that silverplate is stylish and viable option to more expensive sterling objects.  Just remember with silverplate it is all about condition and also the singularity of the design.  Just as in sterling, there is a lot of bog standard silverplate, so look for unusual forms by good makers such as Christofle, WMF etc.

If you would like help finding an interesting piece of silverplate or any other kind of antique from a large piece of furniture to a painting, please contact me at [email protected].  Check out my website for how I work at www.theantiqueflaneur.com.

Check out my Facebook page for the results of the lots discussed here.

Until next week,
Kelly T Keating