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Auction No. 087: Highlights of Design History VI – 'Table Culture'

Auction No. 087, 01. December 2009
Theresienstrasse 60 Munich
Highlights of Design History VI – 'Table Culture'

 

From hand to spoon to silverware

The culture of man has always been linked to his or her food culture resp. table culture. Primarily at the beginning of the 20th Century social standards of table culture determined the image of the living space and the style of living. Dinnerware cupboards, cutlery chests, linen cupboards, sideboards, credenzas and last but not least the dining table with its chairs composed a large part of the furnishing.

Cutlery is one of the most important utensils of table culture. In Mediaeval times and in the Renaissance, the spoon, next to the hand, was the most common implement. When invited, each guest had to bring his or her own cutlery. In the 18th Century the set of spoon, knife and fork became accepted, if only at Court, the Clergy and the Bourgeoisie. At the end of the 19th Century, flatware, too was being mass produced. Likewise manifold table utensils. Swabian metal manufacturer WMF offered in its catalogue of 1906 hundreds of different implements that were available for the upperclass household. Among them baby-pushers, mixed-pickle forks, fish cutlery, lobster cutlery, starter platters, vegetable dishes and hot-water combination bowls.

Designs by well-known artists such as Henry van de Velde, Marcel Wolfers or Emil Lettré would be manufactured by exquisite silversmiths in precious metals for an exclusive clientele – these items today are coveted collector’s pieces.

In our ‚table culture’ auction, around 200 important items that document table culture and handicraft are going to be called up, The offer places emphasis on pieces of the eras of Art Nouveau and Art Déco, as well as the postwar period up until today. It comprises tableware, flatware, glassware, tables, chairs and lots more, prices ranging from a couple of hundreds to several thousand EURO. Traditionally since its conceptions five years ago, the exhibition and auction will be accompanied by an elaborate, richly illustrated catalogue and several interesting expert speeches.
 

Quittenbaum Art Auctions Munich 15 July 2009