Antique Dog Kennel Silver and Enamel Vesta Case

Hallmarked From our Silver collection, we are delighted to offer this Art Nouveau Silver and Enamel Cigarette Case from Vienna, Austria. The Silver and Enamel Cigarette Case of stunning Art Nouveau design with a central enamel scene depicting the legend of St. Hubert, Patron Saint of hunters with the divine deer. The scene features St. Hubert in the foreground dressed much like the later Robin Hood with feathered cap carrying a cross bow. In the background the divine deer stands on a river bank with long antlers portraying a crucifix between them amongst foliage and trees. The Scene flanked by Art Nouveau design upon a Silver case with push button thumb tab. The interior of the Cigarette Case is finished in silver-gilt with an inscription to the left hand side reading Mr et Mdme. Dr Groedel Hietzing 20/VII 1900. (20/07/1900). The Silver and Enamel Cigarette Case is hallmarked twice on the thumb tab, once below the ‘1900’ and twice on the right hand side of the inner case. The last hallmarks feature an illegible makers mark however it is clear that the hallmarks show the hexagonal Dianakopf (Diana’s head) mark showing the silver is .900 fineness and dated to between 1872-1922 inline with the inscription date of 1900. Dianakopf (Diana’s Head) was first used in 1867 the cartouche shape and number within indicate the silver fineness. Beginning in 1872, a letter was added to indicate city of assay. The hallmark comes in varied shapes depending on the year and fineness. Hietzing is the 13th municipal District of Vienna. It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling. Hietzing is a heavily populated urban area with many residential buildings but also contains large areas of the Vienna Woods, along with Schönbrunn Palace. St. Hubert The legend of St. Hubert holds that on a Good Friday morning, while the faithful were in church, Hubert was hunting in the forest. As he pursued a magnificent stag or hart, the animal turned and Hubert was astounded to see a crucifix floating between its antlers. He heard a voice saying: “Hubert unless thou turnest to the Lord and leadest a holy life, thou shalt quickly go down into Hell.” Hubert dismounted and prostrated himself, and after asking “Lord, what wouldst thou have me do?” is told, “Go and seek Lambert, and he will instruct you.” The story of the stag first appears in one of the later legendary hagiographies (Bibliotheca hagiographic Latina, nos. 3994–4002) and has been appropriated from the legend of Saint Eustace...

Hallmarked Asprey, London The case of flat rectangular form with a splayed lid and base featuring a neat engine turned pattern throughout. The lid with a high quality engraved horse...

The minaudière of rectangular form with curved corners features a repousse monkey which humorously goes through the case with the front side of the monkey on the cover and the rear side of the monkey on the back. The exterior of the case is gilded Silver with cabochon Sapphires and a top carry loop. To the left of the top a second loop contains the original pencil which pulls out for taking notes upon the ivorine notepad within. The interior of the case features several compartments which open via the Sapphire tabs, the left side contains two smaller compartments while the right side features a bevel edged mirror with an ivorine notepad to the reverse and a spring loaded tab to the compartment. The case is hallmarked in several locations with the London ‘omega’ import mark (1906-1998), the import Silversmiths mark Gresham Barber & Co and is dated 1907. Although the minaudière does not bear the original makers hallmark we firmly attribute the case to Louis Kuppenheim a renowned German Silversmith who made designs matching this minaudière. Louis Kuppenheim (1824-1889)was founded in 1854 together with Heinrich Witzemann they were located in Pforzheim, southwestern Germany and is known as the gateway to the Black Forest. In 1857 Kuppenheim moved forward as a solo business without his partner and moved to Durlacher Straße 1, Old Town street in Pforzheim. Upon the death of Louis Kuppenheim in 1889 3 of his 6 children (Albert, Hugo and Moritz) took over running the company and in 1900 at the Universal Exhibition in Paris the firm won a gold medal for a paper knife. In the same year the company opened the first store in the Rue de Richelieu 67 in Paris. In the 1900s Hans Christiansen designed some silver parts and pieces of jewellery, which were made by the Manufacture Kuppenheim. Christiansen was an important Art Nouveau painter and a member of the Darmstadt artists’ colony. In 1906 Albert, Hugo and Moritz convert the inherited jewellery factory into a modern gold and silverware fabrication and one year later relocated to 69 Durocher Street. Over the next 30 years the company expanded their business with mechanical workshops for gold and silver along with more machinery along with the death of Albert Kuppenheim and Ludwig (another son of Louis) taking over the company. After the war broke out in 1939 the company went into liquidation ending its 82 year history. During the heyday of the company over 200 people were employed by Louis Kuppenheim making it one of the most important employers in the jewellery city of Pforzheim. In the more than eighty years of production some 100,000 pieces left the company. Kuppenheim made many items in small series, for example boxes and minaudières (women’s fashion accessory, generally considered a jewellery piece, intended to substitute for an evening bag. A case with compartments, it allows storage for several items in a small space, such as a makeup compact, lipstick, watch, reading glasses, or keys) and compacts and cigarette cases...

Fine Chinese silver basket (bon-bon dish/bridal basket) circa 1900. The presentation basket of circular form expertly crafted with spigs of blossoming flowers to the outer boarder ho...

The Silver sifter in the form of a Snipe bird with long pointed bill, short wings and short legs. The Snipe cast in solid silver with multiple hallmark located around the collar, rem...

Hallmarks Dated 1796 From our Silver collection, we are delighted to offer this original George III Silver Teapot by Peter & Ann Bateman. The...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian sterling silver and enamel vesta case; an addition to our silver boxes and cases collection This ...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Edwardian sterling silver and enamel vesta case; an addition to our enamel and silverware collection. This an...

Antique sterling silver vesta case with enamel portrait of dog Made in Birmingham 1913 Maker: W J Myatt & Co Dimensions - Size: 3.6 x 3...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian sterling silver and enamel flag vesta case; an addition to our maritime silverware collection. This antique Victorian sterling silver vesta case has a plain rectangular rounded form. The anterior surface is embellished with a central enamel design depicting British Navy Code of Signal flags: 'Blue Ball' - a white flag with a blue center, a red flag with a yellow St George's Cross and a blue field with a central horizontal white stripe. These flags represent the individual letters 'S', 'R' and 'J'; their combined definition is untraced. The posterior surface of this antique vesta case is plain and unembellished. This fine silver flag...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver and enamel vesta case; an addition to our range of collectable silver cases. This exceptional antique...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Russian silver vesta case in the form of a boot, an addition to our diverse smoking related silverware collection. This exceptional antique silver vesta case...