Gotthold Schönwandt Vase In 835 Silver. Mid Century Modern, Solifleur Vase In 835 Silver.

Gotthold Schönwandt – Soliflore Vase, Hammered Silver 835, Nordeck, Mid-20th CenturyGotthold Schönwandt (1921–1976) · Nordeck · Silver 835 · Handmade · Bauhaus Design · Unique Piece

A soliflore vase in handmade hammered silver 835, designed and executed by Gotthold Schönwandt in his Nordeck workshop, mid-20th century. Height 12.5 cm · diameter approx. 6.0 cm. Marked crescent moon · crown · 835 · artist's signet. Heavy quality. Barely used.

The form — cylindrical, of absolute restraint, animated by a hammered surface that captures light in a living play of reflections — is the most direct expression of Schönwandt's creative philosophy: "It is the manner of making that gives a work its value." When a journalist pointed out irregularities in one of his hand-hammered silver beakers, he replied: "The product of the craftsman is not perfect, for the work of the human hand does not exclude errors and irregularities. But it gains thereby in vitality." This soliflore vase is the exact embodiment of that thought — an everyday object raised to the level of a craft artwork.

Gotthold Schönwandt (Nordeck, 1921 – Nordeck, 1976) was trained as a silversmith from the age of 15 in the workshop of his father Walter Schönwandt (1891–1942), one of the most important German silversmiths of the first half of the 20th century, who had founded in Nordeck in 1927 — in the cellars of the former castle — a silver forge whose reputation rapidly spread throughout Germany. After his father's death in France in 1942 and five years as a prisoner of war, Gotthold took over the family workshop in 1945. In 1956 he had to expand the premises to meet growing demand. Internationally recognised, he received commissions for ecclesiastical silver from Africa and Asia. A critic reviewing the Europäisches Silber exhibition in Hanover in 1968 wrote: "Gotthold Schönwandt achieves particular light effects through a certain angularity in his silverware. The sharply broken line, the linear separation between foreground and background, create a play of light and shadow." He is represented in numerous museum collections and in the Vic Janssens collection (Deutsches Silber nach dem Bauhaus, Museum Sterckshof, Antwerp, 2002, pp. 118–121).

• Height: 12.5 cm · Diameter: approx. 6.0 cm
• Material: silver 835 · handmade · hammered
• Hallmarks: crescent moon · crown · 835 · artist's signet
• Design and execution: Gotthold Schönwandt (1921–1976), Nordeck, mid-20th century
• Literature: Joppien, Rüdiger / Wellens, Luc (eds.), Deutsches Silber nach dem Bauhaus. Die Sammlung Vic Janssens, Museum Sterckshof, Antwerp, 2002, pp. 118–121
• Condition: very good · barely used · heavy quality · delicate hammered finish

Seen in museums — available to you.

Available for viewing by appointment at our Düsseldorf gallery.

Keywords integrated: Gotthold Schönwandt, soliflore vase silver 835, Nordeck Mid Century Modern, Bauhaus, handmade hammered, Museum Sterckshof Antwerp, Europäisches Silber Hanover 1968