The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
SILVER PLATE PROVES GEM OF ART NOUVEAU
On May 4, Kunst and Design Auktionshaus, which is based in Krefeld, near Dusseldorf, sold what was otherwise a simple silver plate – but, boy oh boy, did it sing out in Art Nouveau glory. It was described as a silver “underplate”. It carried the assay marks for 1902-03 and the maker’s mark for Henry van de Velde.
Van de Velde, a Belgian painter, architect and interior designer, is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Europe. Already famed in the Low Countries, he moved to Paris to work with Siegfried Bing, the founder of the first gallery of art nouveau.
Van de Velde then spent the most important part of his career in Germany, becoming a major figure in the Jugendstil movement, essentially the German cohort of Art Nouveau artists. He also profoundly influenced German architecture and furniture design.
The plate was made as part of a silver wedding gift for the Grand Duke of Weimar. Produced in Bremen and some 11 inches in diameter, it was worked with whiplashed organic decoration in relief around its rim.
The stylised “waves” resemble the motif on a Meissen porcelain service created at the time.
Another example of this plate appeared at the Linie und Form exhibition in Krefeld in 1904 and was subsequently acquired by the internationally-known Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld, where it remains today.
Somewhat modest in appearance, the plate nevertheless excited the modern design collecting community, achieving an impressive €31,000 (£27,000) earlier this month.
In October 2005, a teapot designed by van de Velde made €170,000 at auction in Brussels, or around £146,000.