Art Nouveau Candy Dish, Evald Nielsen, Copenhagen 1917, Solid Silver

Evald Nielsen — Danish silver and amber candy dish, Copenhagen, 1917

This remarkable solid-silver candy dish, made in Copenhagen in 1917, bears Evald Nielsen’s hallmark. With elegant proportions—9 cm in diameter and 9 cm in height—it stands out for its sculptural decoration and its central amber knob, whose warm orange hue contrasts with the cool sheen of the metal.

Born in 1879 in Stubbekøbing and died in Copenhagen in 1958, Evald Nielsen was trained from a very young age in steel engraving, chasing, and silversmithing. After several years of traveling and working in Germany, Switzerland, and France, he founded his own workshop in Copenhagen in 1905. He became one of the leading figures in early 20th-century Danish goldsmithing, championing a rigorous approach to the art object based on the quality of materials, masterful craftsmanship, and the harmonious union of beauty and function.

This box is a fine example of Skønvirke, the Danish expression of Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts movement. Its rounded body features a deliberately hammered surface that retains the tangible traces of the silversmith’s hand. The lid is adorned with an abundant relief decoration composed of veined leaves and clusters of small silver berries. The composition, almost plant-like, seems to grow around the central cabochon and transforms a utilitarian object into a true tabletop sculpture.

Crafting such an object required considerable skill. The body of the box had to be spun and hammered with precision, while the leaves, fruits, and various elements of the lid were shaped separately, chiseled, and then assembled with precision. This complex construction explains the vibrancy of the decoration, its layered effects, and the play of light and shadow that appears between the leaves. Despite its rich ornamentation, the piece as a whole retains great coherence and remarkable elegance.

The knob, likely carved from Baltic amber, lends the piece a luminous and organic touch. Highly prized in Scandinavian decorative arts, amber is a fossilized resin whose hues can range from honey yellow to reddish brown.

Perfectly preserved, this candy box attests to the pivotal role Evald Nielsen played in the history of Scandinavian decorative arts. His works are now featured in several international public collections, notably at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which houses a significant piece of silver jewelry created by the artist around 1915 and presents Nielsen as one of the Danish representatives of the Arts and Crafts ideal, committed to the quality and integrity of craftsmanship.

Evald Nielsen, Copenhagen, 1917
Candy box in hammered solid silver and amber
weight 240 grammes