Vintage Heintz Art Metal Vase Sterling Over Bronze

Details

Description

Antique Heintz Bronze Vase with Sterling Silver Overlay and Gold Dore Finish. The bronze has an excellent original patina, and … Read more Antique Heintz Bronze Vase with Sterling Silver Overlay and Gold Dore Finish. The bronze has an excellent original patina, and the vase features a sterling silver overlay with a finish known as Gold Dore. This vase is marked, as seen in the pictures, numbered 3803 B, and marked with the Heintz company mark, “Sterling on Bronze,” with a patent date of August 27, 1912.

The decoration consists of a lovely, stylized flower, and the finish has a slightly delicate texture. The vase measures 5.5" in height, 2.25" across the mouth, and 2.75" across the base.

Condition notes: There is a small bend in the mouth where the edge rolls down slightly (see photo), and on the backside, there is a flat spot that is 0.5" wide, resembling a dent; however, it does not go in; it is simply flat. Neither issue can be seen from the front, and neither detracts from the beauty of the item. We have many up-close photos and are happy to send more.

Heintz History:
Gold Dore finish:
"Heintz also employed plated finishes: a hand-stippled French grey silver, acid-etched silver with black highlights, and Gold Dore. Heintz items were popular wedding gifts and were sold through better gift and artware stores."

Otto Heintz was born into a family of manufacturing jewelers established in 1875 in Buffalo, NY. By around 1902, he had purchased a small company, renamed it the Art Crafts Shop, and began designing and manufacturing copper items with colored enamel decoration. He was granted three patents. By 1906, he changed the name to Heintz Art Metal Shop and shifted to bronze as the base material, using sterling silver as ornamentation. The Art Crafts Shop's hammered look was replaced by a series of machine-shaped bodies with sophisticated patinas. The definitive patent for applying sterling silver to bronze without solder was granted on August 27, 1912.

Heintz’s line consisted of vases, bowls, candlesticks, smoking accessories, trophies, lamps, desk accessories, picture frames, bookends, and jewelry. From a circa 1916 trade catalog: “Heintz wares have won an enviable reputation among buyers of art goods because of their originality, beauty of design, and unusual quality of attractiveness. The articles are made of bronze and are decorated with sterling silver designs, which are permanently applied by our patented process. Beautiful colored finishes have been produced after much thought and experimentation."

Each item at Allies has been handpicked for uniqueness and variety; all are different but have all been loved. We have carefully taken many photos so you can see from all angles, as we consider photos to be part of our description! We are happy to answer any questions. We expect all of our items to exhibit age-appropriate patina, wear, usage, and perhaps even a bit of crackle! We will do our best to point out any condition issues. We have the zoom-in feature available for you to use. See less