The Silver Antiques Insider

Can You Shed Some Light On This Candelabrum?

Last week I entered the Nelson & Nelson Antiques showroom on Park Avenue just as my co-worker was changing the window display. This stately candelabrum caught my eye and tickled my fancy.

Judging by the craftsmanship, the hallmark, and the date (1848) this piece must be the work of Benjamin Smith III, the last in a family of fine silversmiths to be working out of London in the 19th century.

It stands about three feet high and it’s topped with a glass bowl that has been engraved with a floral, leafy detail. The stem and the arms have been fashioned and textured to resemble the trunk and branches of a tree. Three women are positioned around the trunk just above the candelabrum’s solid base.

At first glance I assumed these women to be The Three Graces but I dispelled that notion with a closer inspection. The Three Graces usually appear nude. These women are fully clothed. The Graces are said to represent beauty, charm, and joy. Although these ladies are beautiful, I consider their rigid stance to be anything but charming or joyful.

Besides, as far as I’m aware, the Graces never carried any props. These women each display a different prop: one stands next to what appears to be a beehive, the second offers a chalice, and the third holds a staff bearing the Hand of Fatima.

Next, The Muses came to mind. They always carry some device that corresponds to a particular character trait, but, search as I might, I could find no reference to these devices in any article about The Muses.

For help I consulted Gus Myberg, a good friend and trivia buff. He returned my call a few days later but he couldn't offer any substantial leads. “Do you think they might be King Lear’s daughters?” he said.

“Interesting, but -” I thought it over. “No, I don’t see the connection.”

“How about the Three Fates?”

“No. Gustav, I think we’ve lost the thread here.”

I studied the women once more. Apart from the different props they are identical. It’s as though their individual personalities were intentionally de-emphasized in favour of a general solemn countenance and dignified air. I grew convinced that the key to understanding this whole candelabrum was to be found, not in the women, but in the items they are presenting: the beehive, the chalice, and the Hand of Fatima.

Already exhausted, I turned my research to the symbolism of those devices and entered a sprawling, dimly lit maze of Kabbalah, Zoroastrianism, Paganism, and the legend of the Holy Grail.

I came up with nothing.

Am I reading too much into this? Maybe the whole thing is, as the designer's initials might suggest, a load of B.S. Could it have been that Smith chose a mishmash of cultural detritus and mystical mumbo-jumbo to represent some private, neoclassical myth that we were never meant to understand?

What do you think?

Old-Timey And Eco-Friendly To Boot

Over the last few years there’s been a big push to promote eco-awareness and minimize the impact of this notoriously wasteful season. Last year, Time magazine published Maryanne Murray Buechner’s article on “How to Have a Green Christmas” and now, in her report for The New York Times, Penelope Green has named 2007 “The Year Of Eco Decorating.”

I couldn’t help but notice that fine silver antiques were not mentioned once in either article. While it’s pretty safe to say that sustainability was the last thing on the mind of any turn-of-the-century mine engineer, the silversmiths, to their credit, were committed to producing art with staying power. Their craft champions long-term usability and therefore stands in opposition to the apparent evils of disposable convenience.

So how about a small sample of vintage décor direct from the online catalogue* of Nelson & Nelson Antiques?

First off, for the environmentally aware socialite who has yet to assemble a hoard of holiday ensembles, we offer a large selection of previously enjoyed jewelry and fine accessories.

For the high-minded host we carry a number of antique sterling silver flatware sets and a whole array of serving dishes and decorative objects, including some truly stunning centerpieces.

Better than a tin-can reindeer, n’est-ce pas?

Finally, for those of you looking to make a more literal “green statement” this holiday season, check out our collection of Art Nouveau emerald crystal vases all adorned with delicate sterling silver overlay. These pieces were produced at the turn-of-the-century by various silversmith firms along America’s east coast, most notably those who eventually merged in 1933 to form the Hickok Matthews Company in Newark, New Jersey. Each piece is made of a rich, emerald green crystal and adorned with sterling silver overlay in the Art Nouveau style. Leafy silver tendrils flow across and entwine each glass in a cool, organic pattern.

And there you have it. Why support the high-stakes game of modern manufacturing when you can enjoy a timeless antique whose artistry outshines all the latest fads?

* Please note: most, but not all, of Nelson & Nelson’s inventory can be viewed in the online catalogue. Any interested parties may want to visit the store at its Manhattan location.

Meet Georg Jensen

Georg Jensen was born in 1866, the seventh child of a knife grinder from Radvaad, Denmark. As a teen he trained to be a goldsmith in Copenhagen, then enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts to study sculpture. Upon graduating he was disgusted by the Industrial Age and its tactics of mass production so he “decided to devote his art to making beautiful objects of practical use.” (jensilver.com) He reapplied his skills to the metalwork trade, this time as a silversmith under Mogens Baillin. Eventually, in 1904, he opened up his own tiny studio in downtown Copenhagen.

With the freedom, at last, to do things his own way, Jensen’s creative aplomb permanently reshaped the language of sterling silver design. His unique products were an almost instant international success. Check out these examples from the online catalogue of Nelson & Nelson Antiques.

“Jensen's sensibility reflected a movement that was going on all around him. In England it was called Arts and Crafts, in France Art Nouveau, in Germany Jugendstil and in Denmark skonvirk.” (ibid)

In other circles, it simply became known as The Georg Jensen Style and its effects are apparent.

Looking back on early 20th Century trends it's as though Jensen arrived from the future to dictate the course of decorative design. He frequently collaborated with other designers, most notably Johan Rohde, and openly encouraged them to express their ideas and challenge the status quo. Soon the business expanded to include outlets in New York, London, Paris, Stockholm, and Berlin.

Although his business suffered throughout the 1920s on account of the economic tensions in war-torn Europe, Georg Jensen’s creations continued to dazzle the art world. He won the Grand Prix at the Paris World's Fair in 1925, then again at the Barcelona World’s Fair in 1929, and then again one final time at the World’s Fair in Brussels shortly before his death in 1935. Today, his spirit lives on in his eponymous company and the artists who continue to use his creative principles.

A Different Thanksgiving Classic

In my earliest Thanksgiving memory I’m sitting cross-legged in front of the television while the Dallas Cowboys are playing my boys, the Washington Redskins, in the 1974 Thanksgiving Classic. When Dallas’s starting quarterback, Roger Staubach, left the game due to an injury the ‘Skins were already ahead 16-3 and I thought we had it cinched. I hopped around the room in a celebratory dance then watched in nail-biting horror as Clint Longley, a lithe young rookie, rallied the Cowboys through the second half and eventually won the game with a 50-yard touchdown pass in the final minute.

When dinner was called I dragged my dejected soul to the table. While my family passed the mashed potatoes over and around me I grew mesmerized by the reflective whorls of the flatware pattern and at that very moment, out of heartbreak and spite and the depths of a prepubescent existential crisis, there arose within me a whole new, healthier obsession.

The silverware fad originally came to America by way of the wealthier European colonists. Throughout the 1800s, the discovery of silver lodes and subsequent mining activities in the American West coincided with the foundation of a few highly acclaimed flatware manufacturers on the east coast. By the turn of the 20th century, wealthy Americans, and even some of the middle class, were amassing collections of sterling silverware that rivaled those of their British contemporaries.

Reed & Barton have been producing fine sterling silver artifacts in the city of Taunton, Massachusetts since 1824. In 1906, after three years in development, they introduced their most cherished flatware design, Francis I, showcased here in a prime 18-setting sterling silver flatware service, available only at Nelson & Nelson Antiques. Francis I incorporates a whole cornucopia of leaves and fruit clusters in a lavish, yet commanding design that has graced the tables of three different U.S. Presidents. In its time it set a new standard for craftsmanship and helped carve a name for America in the international silversmith scene.

Francis I flatware by Reed & Barton is my personal Thanksgiving Classic. This Thursday, make sure to set a place for it right alongside Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation, and, I suppose… the football game.

Enjoy the holiday!

Just The Right Time For Chrysanthemum Tea

November’s birth flower, the chrysanthemum, breaches the earth and blooms every autumn. Traditionally, the flower’s appearance is associated with mourning and endurance as we prepare to enter a long winter period of rest, contemplation, and spiritual optimism. Now that cooler weather has finally arrived here in New York City and winter does appear to be on its way, Nelson & Nelson Antiques would like to announce the arrival of a sterling silver Chrysanthemum coffee and tea set from Tiffany & Co.

Chrysanthemum is arguably Tiffany’s most recognizable pattern. It evolved during the Victorian Age while two premier silversmiths, Charles T. Grosjean and the Orientalist Edward C. Moore, were working hard to expand Tiffany’s repertoire. The two shared an appreciation for Persian and Indian floral décor and Japanese aesthetics.

“The Japanese influence was not a revival. Rather it was a revolt against the historicism of the time. The structural simplicity of Japanese art opened up new vistas for painters and craftsmen alike, showing them a way out of the mire of revival styles.” [Carpenter 1987:10]

Grosjean acquired a patent for his innovative Chrysanthemum design in 1880 and it remained a signature of Tiffany’s holloware stock until 1955. These precious items have been sought worldwide by collectors ever since.

This particular seven-piece set, circa the 1890s, is comprised of a tilting hot water kettle, teapot, coffee pot, creamer, sugar, waste bowl, and serving tray. Each piece has a smooth, apple-shaped body with realistic, floral detail that adorns the feet, the lid, and the handles in a fluid, undulating style. It’s a classic nature motif that encapsulates the Victorian Era, the Art Nouveau movement, and the decorative arts of the Far East.

For centuries in Asia, chrysanthemum tea has been said to ensure a long, healthy life. What better way to celebrate the tradition than with an antique sterling silver Chrysanthemum tea set from Tiffany & Co?

For more details, please contact Nelson & Nelson Antiques.

Print References:
- Carpenter Jr., Charles H., and Janet Zapata. The Silver of Tiffany & Co. 1850-1987, Boston Museum of Fine Arts: 1987