Henry Van De Velde Model III. Silver Dessert Cutlery 3 Pieces. Karl Ernst Osthaus Hagen

Henry van de Velde – Dessert Cutlery Set of 3 Pieces, Model III, Silver 800, circa 1911–1912Provenance: Karl Ernst Osthaus, Hagen · Art Nouveau · Franz Bahner, DüsseldorfOwner's Monogram Engraved · Van de Velde Artist's Signet

A set of three dessert pieces in silver 800 — a cream spoon (pointed oval bowl, I.3.4.52), a dessert fork (I.3.4.6) and a dessert / butter knife (I.3.4.9) — from Henry van de Velde's Model III, designed in 1911–1912, executed by the Silberwarenfabrik Franz Bahner in Düsseldorf or the manufacture Koch & Bergfeld in Bremen. Silver 800, hallmarks halbmond, crown and artist's signet engraved on the reverse of each handle. Owner's monogram engraved: ex-collection Karl Ernst Osthaus, Hagen.

Lengths: knife approx. 16.5 cm · fork approx. 17.6 cm · spoon approx. 17.6 cm.

The provenance is of exceptional historical significance. Karl Ernst Osthaus (1874–1921), industrialist and patron from Hagen, was Henry van de Velde's principal private patron in Germany: he entrusted van de Velde with the interior of the Folkwang Museum in Hagen (1900–1902) — the first museum of modern art in Germany — and the construction of his private residence, Villa Hohenhof (1906–1908), a reference Gesamtkunstwerk of van de Velde's œuvre. The Osthaus–van de Velde relationship is one of the great collaborations of European Art Nouveau. Cutlery pieces bearing Osthaus's monogram are direct material witnesses to this relationship.

Comparable pieces from Model III are held in the collections of the Bröhan-Museum Berlin, the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Cologne (inv. G 422), the Landesmuseum Württemberg Stuttgart and the Museum of Modern Art New York. Complete catalogue raisonné: www.wvz-henryvandevelde.de

• Spoon: approx. 17.6 cm (I.3.4.52) · Fork: approx. 17.6 cm (I.3.4.6) · Knife: approx. 16.5 cm (I.3.4.9)
• Material: silver 800
• Hallmarks: halbmond · crown · 800 · van de Velde signet
• Design: Henry van de Velde, Model III, 1911–1912
• Production: Franz Bahner, Düsseldorf or Koch & Bergfeld, Bremen
• Provenance: ex-collection Karl Ernst Osthaus, Hagen (engraved monogram)
• Catalogue raisonné: www.wvz-henryvandevelde.de
• Condition: very good for age

Seen in museums — available to you.

Available for viewing by appointment at our Düsseldorf gallery.

Keywords integrated: Henry van de Velde, silver dessert cutlery Model III, Art Nouveau, Karl Ernst Osthaus, Franz Bahner Düsseldorf, Koch Bergfeld Bremen, Folkwang Museum Hagen, Hohenhof, MoMA New York, Bröhan-Museum Berlin