Urania, Gallia, Britannia Metal XXl Elegant French Art Nouveau Planter, Jardiniere Circa 1900

Art Nouveau XXL Jardinière, Britannia Metal, Floral Decoration, Unmarked, circa 1900 Design: probably Friedrich Adler · Production: Urania, Gallia, Osiris or unidentified Continental manufactory · Width 64 cm · Height 13 cm

A large Art Nouveau jardinière of exceptional dimensions in Britannia metal (Britanniametall), with floral relief decoration and lateral handles, circa 1900. Width 64 cm · height 13 cm. Unmarked. Very good original condition · unusual and imposing design · impressive size.

At 64 cm in width, this jardinière is one of the largest known in the European artistic metalware production of the Jugendstil — surpassing in scale the Osiris jardinière #717 (54 cm) documented in the collections of the Kreismuseum Zons and our own gallery. Its floral relief decoration and lateral handles are characteristic of the formal vocabulary that Friedrich Adler (Laupheim, 1878 – Auschwitz, 1942/45) developed for several European manufactories circa 1900: Osiris / Walter Scherf & Co. in Nuremberg, Urania in Maastricht, Orivit in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, and Gallia (Christofle) in France. The absence of a hallmark — frequent for large-format pieces produced at the limits of the manufactories' capacities — renders precise attribution impossible without in-depth comparative analysis, but the style clearly places this piece within the orbit of this group of Rhenish-Continental manufactories.

Friedrich Adler (Laupheim/Ulm, 1878 – Auschwitz, 1942/45), architect and designer from a Jewish family of artists and merchants, studied at the Munich School of Applied Arts from 1897. His early designs for textiles, ivory and leatherwork preceded his metalwork creations. He worked successively for Osiris/Isis, Orion, Urania and the Silberwarenfabrik Peter Bruckmann & Söhne. His works are held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Kirkland Museum in Denver and the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte in Dortmund.

A note for collectors and enthusiasts: the Kreismuseum Zons opens on 13 May 2026 the new exhibition „Selten. Silber. Orivit. Rheinische Jugendstilschätze mit internationalem Flair. Die Sammlung Julius Rohm" — the direct historical context of this jardinière.

• Width: 64 cm · Height: 13 cm
• Material: Britannia metal (Britanniametall)
• Hallmarks: none (unmarked piece)
• Design: probably Friedrich Adler, circa 1900 (provisional attribution)
• Production: Urania (Maastricht), Gallia/Christofle, Osiris (Nuremberg) or unidentified Continental manufactory, circa 1900
• Literature: Spurensuche: Friedrich Adler zwischen Jugendstil und Art Deco, Stuttgart 1994 · Erlesenes aus Jugendstil und Art Déco, Die Sammlung Giorgio Silzer, GRASSI Museum, Leipzig, 1997 · Kwint, Jan C.G., Urania, Maastricht 1903–1910, Culemborg, 2002 · Pese, Claus, Jugendstil aus Nürnberg, Stuttgart, 2007 · Kerssenbrock-Krosigk, Metallkunst der Moderne, Bröhan-Museum, Berlin, 2001
• Condition: very good original condition

Seen in museums — available to you.

Available for viewing by appointment at our Düsseldorf gallery.

Keywords integrated: Art Nouveau XXL jardinière, Friedrich Adler, Urania Osiris Gallia Britannia metal, Jugendstil 1900, unmarked, Kreismuseum Zons, GRASSI Museum Leipzig, Kirkland Museum Denver