Neoclassical Revival Tableware

A charming vintage Westmoreland Della Robbia pedestal compote, featuring the collection’s celebrated ruby flashed fruit decoration over brilliantly clear pressed glass. Gracefully el...

Borgia sterling silver starter set. Made by Mario Buccellati in Italy, ca 1960. This set comprises (dimensions in inches) 12 dinner forks (8 1/2), 12 oval soup spoons (8), and 12 din...

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...

Elegant Spanish bar cart crafted in solid wood, featuring a classic two-tier design with finely turned legs and decorative details inspired by traditi...

A beautiful set of four vintage Westmoreland Della Robbia water goblets, featuring the celebrated ruby flashed fruit decoration over brilliantly clear pressed glass. Raised fruit gar...

A beautiful assembled set of twelve vintage Westmoreland Della Robbia glass plates, including four dinner plates, four salad plates, and four dessert plates. Decorated with richly mo...

Hallmarked in London in 2000 by C. J. Vander, this handsome set of 6 Sterling Silver Goblets, feature bright cut engraved decoration and gilt interiors. Each goblet measures 5.75"(14...

A beautiful vintage Westmoreland Della Robbia creamer and open sugar bowl, showcasing the pattern’s celebrated ruby flashed fruit decoration over brilliantly clear pressed glass. Ric...

A beautiful set of four vintage Westmoreland Della Robbia sherbet cups, showcasing the celebrated ruby flashed fruit decoration over brilliantly clear pressed glass. Raised garlands ...

A very elegant pair of neoclassical inspired silver double salt cellars of navette form, both showing richly gilded and divided interiors and up-swe...

A Very Fine Pair of Silver Gilt Neo-classical Revival Salt Cellars Made in Birmingham by the Famous Firm of Freerick Elkington in 1878. The Salt Cellars are of a most unusual design...