Ice-cream saw Dominick & Haff c. 1880 - 1900 | MFA H

Dominick and Haff, the renowned American silversmiths based in New York City, left an enduring mark on the world of silverware craftsmanship. Established in 1821 as William Gale and Son, the company underwent several transformations before becoming Gale, Dominick, and Haff in 1870. Their commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and innovation led to prestigious clients like Bailey, Banks, and Biddle. Dominick and Haff’s acquisition of Adams and Shaw’s tools and patterns further solidified their position. Although the firm eventually came under the ownership of Reed and Barton, their legacy as pioneers in American silversmithing continues to be treasured.Read More →

Alhambra Table Fountain featured image

Alhambra Table Fountain is a centrepiece in the form of a Moorish pavillion having a domed roof decorated with champleve enamelling and resting on a leafy base. The piece is in the style of the Alhambra, Granada, and is intended to represent a shrine covering a water-hole. On the base and encircling the edifice are figures in-the-round of three Arab horses that had been presented to Queen Victoria, and of their Arabian attendant, and nearby a African boy with a dog. Read More →

Erna Zarges-Dürr featured image

Erna Zarges-Dürr (1907-2002) was a German silversmith. She was professionally active Pforzheim, Leipzig, Berlin. and Stuttgart. Between 1924-27, she trained at Bruckmann und Söhne, Heilbronn, as the first women in the silversmiths’ department. From 1927, she studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Pforzheim, under Theodor Wende and others. Read More →

Hallmark example

A hallmark is a symbol or device struck at an assay office on gold or silver, indicating that article conforms to legal standards of manufacture established by the monarch, local guilds, government etc. Literally, mark applied at Goldsmith’s Hall (London assay office since 1300) but extended to cover e.g. all five stamps found on Victorian silver until 1890: assay office mark specific to each assay office; Read More →

Albert Paley (born 1944) is an American modernist metal sculptor. Starting as a jeweller, he has evolved into one of the world’s most renowned and famous metalsmiths. Furniture, gates, railings, and staircases are among his creations. He consults with architects and space planners, and he leads a team of craftspeople in his Rochester, New York, facilities.Read More →

Brandewijnskom - brandy bowls

Brandewijnskom. Brandy bowls were made in Holland and Friesland in the 17th and 18th centuries.Read More →

International Silver Company featured image

The International Silver Company was founded in 1898 by a group of independent silversmiths from New England. Ashbil Griswold, who established his pewter shop in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1808, is credited with starting the early records of this industry.Read More →

Metalsmith jeweller close-up image of hands working on a ring

A metalsmith is an artisan who creates useful objects from diverse metals. It entails shaping metal with a hammer, refining metals from their ores, casting it into various forms, and filing it to the desired dimensions. Smith and related surnames are typical occupational surnames. Read More →

Octagonal jewelery box with domed lid

J.M. van Kempen was a Dutch silversmith who started a silver factory in Utrecht in 1835 and moved to Voorschoten in 1858. He hired English craftsmen to teach them how to make forks and spoons, and a separate studio was set up to make sculptures and silverwork parts. He didn’t hire outside artists until the 1800s, when Th.L. Sluyterman designed Art Nouveau pieces.Read More →

Bertel Gardberg Candlesticks

Bertel Gardberg was a Finnish jeweller and metal worker. Between 1938-1941 he studied at Taideteollin Korkeaukoulu, Helsinki. He began his working life in Copenhagen. Gardberg moved to Helsinki where he maintained a studio between 1949-1966. He was responsible for stainless steel and silver designs produced by the Georg Jensen Solvsmedie; Galeries Lafayette department store, Paris and Kilkenny Design workshops, Dublin. Although he was known for his metal wares, he also worked in wood and stone.Read More →

Juliuys Olaf Randall

In 1901, he moved to New York and worked for Tiffany and Gorham Manufacturing. In 1907, he worked at the Kalo Shop in Chicago before opening his own Randahl Shop in Park Ridge, Illinois, in 1911.Read More →

Gold coloured Ampulla

Ampulla is a type of vessel used to hold chrism in churches.The pouring hole is in its beak. The cover is its head. LEARN MORERead More →

Maison Desny Coupe

Desny was a Parisian lighting company founded in 1927 by designers Desnet and René Mauny and a business partner named Tricot. READ MORERead More →

Basse-taille

Basse-taille is a method for enamelling the graves or low-reliefs on a metal surface, typically gold or silver, and thenRead More →

Hermine the 'Otter' created in bronze

Jan and Joel Martel (1896 – 1966) were twin brothers and French sculptors. They were born in Nantes and active in Paris. Cement, glass, steel, mirrors, ceramics, lacquers, and synthetics were all used in their projects.Read More →

He worked as a silversmith from 1926 and became one of the most important silversmiths in Munich and an outstanding enameler. 1935-72, he taught at the Staatsschule (later Akademie) fur angewandte Kunst in Munich. In the 1950s and 1960s, he designed numerous religious objects.Read More →

Helicon Vase

A Helicon vase is a centrepiece named after Mount Helicon in Greece. It was sacred to the ancient Greek muses. Read More →

Silver and twentieth century design

The impact of silver metal technology has driven the development of modern furnishings throughout the 20th century. The transformation of a chair into a sculptural statement, for example. Interior metal objects have not always been at the forefront of modern design within a multi-function. With the emphasis on warmth and comfort in the home, the scope for a wide range of metal products for this domain is not there.Read More →

Cylinda Line Teapot by Arne Jacobsen

The Cylinda Line featured a close design connection among all aspects and the consistency of features throughout, including logo and packaging. It was designed over three years by International Style architect Jacobsen in collaboration with its manufacturer, Stelton. Read More →

The third and present Goldsmiths' Hall in the second half of the 19th century

The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, also known as the Goldsmiths’ Company, is one of London’s Great Twelve Livery Companies. It is correctly known as The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London. The Company’s headquarters are located in the City of London’s Goldsmiths’ Hall.
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