Ricci Argentieri Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

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...

French "Francis 1st pattern" 1920s sterling silver flatware dinner service set for 18 with a rococo floral design in a mahogany case. 250 pieces. (REED & B...

A beautiful large silver-plated tray, from the French brand Christofle. The tray is in incredibly beautiful condition, it looks as if it has hardly been used. Beautiful color and shi...

Circa 1900-05, .800 Silver, Franz Bahner, Germany. This 84-piece solid silver flatware set was made in Germany by Franz Bahner of Dusseldorf. The...

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...

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

This large serpentine shaped silver plated serving tray was made in Sheffield England in roughly 1910 in the period Edwardian style. This plated tray has a deep gallery with cutout h...

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...

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...

Royal Doulton "Royal Gold" Pattern Dinner Service for Twelve, each with gilt decorated rim and marked "Made in England / Royal Doulton / English Fine Bone China / Royal Gold / H.4980...

Excellent quality antique Edwardian silver plated tea tray, having a quality large tea tray with two carrying handles to the sides with a fantastic shell and scroll border. D. 1900

This dinner service was Georg Jensen's first set in stainless steel. It was designed in 1941 by Gundorph Albertus (1887-1970). Stainless steel was chosen due to the lack of silver during the Second World War. The name Mitra derives from the headware/hat of a Bishop (mitres-s) and resembles its distinct shape. 68 pcs of flatware dinner service...