Philippe Wolfers Silver Teapot "Cyclamen, " Art Nouveau, 1899

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Philippe Wolfers Silver Teapot "Cyclamen, " Art Nouveau, 1899

About the Item

Philippe WOLFERS (1858-1929) Tea pot "Cyclamen" Silver Brussels 1899 Along with Victor Horta, Henry van de Velde, Paul Hankar and Gustave Serrurier-Bovy, Philippe Wolfers was one of the pioneers that shaped the artistically innovating climate in Belgium at the turn of 19th to the 20th century. Between 1893 and 1898 Wolfers took a keen interest in plant motives, one of which was the cyclamen in 1895. At the same time, for the art nouveau range of Wolfers Frères Philippe Wolfers designed in drawing a number of objects of daily use in buffed silver with a chased décor of various kinds of flowers or plants. These flora-inspired objects triggered the development of the typical ‘Wolfers style’ which is now so successful. This coffee- and tea set illustrates this beautifully The scarcity of silver objects in art nouveau style shows that the public at large were not really interested in buying them. The time and above all the money that Wolfers invested in creating art nouveau objects proved to provide too little return in Belgium. Acquiring prestige and brand awareness seemed more important than the need for immediate profit. Germany, where the potential buyers had a less conservative taste, offered better possibilities for sales. That is why the few objects in this style that appear on the market often also show a German guarantee mark or indeed import marks from the Netherlands, France and Russia besides the Belgian makers’ marks . For a long time, art nouveau was regarded as being too decorative, decadent and affected. Until well into the 1960s a great deal of this architectural patrimony and countless objects of applied arts were destroyed. To think that Victor Horta’s People’s House was torn down in 1965 ! Fortunately this art movement was rediscovered and reinstated in the last few decades. This is amply illustrated by the keen efforts that national and international musea are making to enrich their collections with Art Nouveau artefacts. A few examples that are similar to this one are kept in public and private collections, like the vase "Cyclamen" in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York, the coffee- and tea-set in the Design Museum in Gent (named ‘Digital’, with a decoration of daffodils) or the one in the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels (which is a specimen without floral decoration).

Creator:
Philippe Wolfers (Designer)
Style:
Art Nouveau (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Silver
Place of Origin:
Belgium
Period:
1890-1899
Date of Manufacture:
1899
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Brussels, BE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1072390852D