Ricci Argentieri Furniture

Enhance your table setting with the charming Handpainted Ceramic Wicker Plates, skillfully crafted and beautifully painted by artisans in Italy. Featuring an intricate wicker-inspire...

Expertly crafted in England, the Wedgewood Black "Colonnade" Bone China Dinner Service for 12 offers timeless elegance. Made from the finest bon...

A Fine Early 20th Century 152 Piece Austrian Dinnerware Flatware Set by Berndorfer Metallwaaren-Fabrik, stamped 'Berndorf Alpacca', The Neoclassical Revival style set of Alpacca flatware comprising of: 12 Fish knives 12 Salad forks 12 Salad knives 12 Pasta spoons 12 Dessert spoons 12 Coffee spoons 12 Tea spoons 12 Ice-cream spoons 1 Ice thong 1 Soup ladle 1 Serving spoon 1 Salad spoon 1 Sauce/Gravy ladle 1 Meat carving knife 1 Meat carving fork 1 Salad fork All inside its original lined wooden storage-traveling cabinet. (See all images). Circa: Vienna, 1900-1930. The Alpacca alloy was developed in 1823 by the German chemist Dr. Ernst August Geitner (1783-1852). It was very similar in its appearance to silver, therefore, this new alloy was first called "Argentan". It consisted of 20% nickel, 55% copper and 25% zinc. The new silver-imitating alloy soon became very popular. The Gebrueder Henninger (Henninger Bros.) proposed a similar alloy (5-30% nickel, 45-70% copper and 8-45% zinc with trace amounts of lead, tin and iron) which they called "Neusilber". Later both Argentan and Neusilber were used under the trade name of Alpacca (or Alpakka). The great advantage of the use of Alpacca alloy as the base metal for silver plating is that the appearance of the objects does not change significantly with the wearing away of the silver layer and, unlike sterling silver, it does not require frequent polishing or cleaning due to tarnishing. The earliest known Berndorf Alpacca mark (No.1) was introduced around 1880 and used until 1891. I found it on the bottom of a 30 cl teapot bearing the inscription KRIEAU, which corresponds to the "Wiener Krieau", the famous race course in Vienna. The mark No.1 represents an oval of 3.0 x 3.6 mm size bearing the lettering "BMF ALPACCA" (which means Berndorfer Metallwaaren Fabrik or Berndorf Metalware Factory) with the "M" and "F" letters being fused. Inside the oval there is a profile of a walking bear looking down. This mark is quite rare. BIBLIOGRAPHY - Ingrid Haslinger, Tafelkultur Marke Berndorf, Das Niederoesterreichische Erfolgsunternehmen Arthur Krupps (Ketterl Verlag, Wien, 1998), pp.1-174, (in German). - Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk and Claudia Kanowski, Modern Art of Metallwork (Berlin: Broehan Museum, 2001), 1-598. - Musterbuch ueber Tafelgeraete in Alpacca-Silber I, Alpacca-Silber II und Alpacca, Unversilbert (Berndorfer Haus, Berlin, 1928), pp.1-53, (in German). - Waltraud Neuwirth, Bluehender Jugendstil Oesterreich, Band 2: Firmen und Marken [Art Nouveau in Blossom - Austria, Vol. 2: Companies and Marks]. Vienna: Selbstverlag Dr. Waltraud Neuwirth, 1991, 1-288 (in German). - David N. Nikogosyan, 2008, Marks of Silverplated Hollowware...

This gorgeous set of sterling silver flatware by Towle Silversmiths is up for sale. The design has a Gothic look and with a curved bo...

Emphasizing a graceful design whose classic lines carry the timeless beauty of another age to tabletops today, the 18th Century Pattern from Reed & Barton is reflective of a time ric...

Very Heavy .800 Italian Silver Flatware set in the pattern 1810 (Fiddle shape) in its original vintage fitted chest - 77 pieces. This set includes: ...

This charming 19th century French 18-piece cased dessert silverware / flatware set, with its unique, slightly grotesque satyr mask motif and warm ve...

Beautiful Wedgwood porcelain tableware dinner service for twelve people with coffee serving set with hand painted design details. The service is in great condition. Maker's mark undersigned. Include 87 pieces all-together. 12 dinner plate 10 3/4" D. 12 Salad plate...

Antique English Victorian Mother of Pearl 24 piece dessert service in case, circa 1880.

Beautiful 44 piece set of fax bamboo flatware. Perfect for summer parties. Large spoons measure: 8” long x 1.5” deep x .75” tall Small spoons measure...

Silver 925 Cutlery set for 12 people signed Bruckmann. Germany, late 19th century. Complete for 12 people. A total of 170 pieces: 12 large kni...

Silver 800 cutlery set for 12 people. Düsseldorf, Germany, late 19th century. Jugendstil period. Complete for 12 people. A total of 164 pieces: 12 ...