20th Century Deco Basket in Silver-Plated Brass by Josef Hoffmann for the Argentor Werke Rust & Hetzel Factory, Austria, 1920s

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Description of the object:
deco centerpiece in the shape of a silver-plated brass basket with two lattice sections at the … Read more Description of the object:
deco centerpiece in the shape of a silver-plated brass basket with two lattice sections at the bottom of the basket and stylized floral decoration perforated on the four lower side edges, with a rectangular double-strap handle with geometric decorations in relief. Signed on one of the four legs with an incised mark consisting of the word "argentor" above three triangles. The object can be dated to the early decades of the 20th century and is attributable to josef franz maria hoffmann, an important austrian artist and one of the leading exponents of the viennese secession, made for the "argentor - werke rust & hetzel" factory. The patina is wonderful and perfectly in line with our dating, and the artistic level is very high. The original silver plating has never been redone and, unfortunately, has worn away in some places.

useful information for evaluating the item:
our web research shows that the highest four auction results achieved by josef hoffmann in the furniture category range from €112,000 to over €122,000, while the four highest auction results in the objects category range from €160,000 to a maximum of over €267,000, this gives an idea of the importance of this artist. Objects very similar to ours, also by josef hoffmann, who created many objects with this lattice shape, from baskets to glasses, saucers, etc. Of which he was probably the main creator, are all listed or sold at auction at very high prices, ranging from €1,500 for the smallest and simplest, in brass and silver-plated brass, to over €54,000 for those in solid silver. Finally, we found baskets very similar to ours, made by josef hoffmann, also for the argentor - werke rust & hetzel factory, sold at auction or offered on other online art and antiques sales sites for between €780 and over €1,600.

information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
argentor's origins date back to 1863, when carl adalbert münchmeyer and ernst rust founded c.a. Münchmeyer & co. Initially, the company specialized in silver and gold plating of metal objects using a galvanic process. Factories were established in berlin, vienna, and paris, each managed by a different member of the founding team, including münchmeyer in berlin and rust & hetzel in vienna. In 1902, the company was restructured and renamed argentor-werke rust & hetzel, under the management of georg ferdinand rust and adolf wilhelm hetzel. The company became one of the most important manufacturers of metal objects within the viennese art nouveau movement. Its production included not only silver cutlery, bowls, centerpieces, and tea and coffee sets, but also decorative accessories such as picture frames, clocks, electric lamps, vases, and flower holders. Argentor was particularly renowned for creating frames for iridescent glass vases from the famous johan loetz glassworks, further consolidating its status in the art nouveau scene. The company achieved considerable success, exporting hundreds of models around the world and becoming the official supplier to the austro-hungarian imperial court. Branches were also opened in budapest and brno. Although it survived the challenges of world war ii, argentor continued to face financial difficulties, which ultimately led to its closure in 1970.

josef franz maria hoffmann (brtnice, 1870 – vienna, 1956) was one of austria's leading architects, active between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hoffmann is considered one of the greatest ceramists and artists of the viennese secession. He founded the wiener werkstatte together with koloman moser and absorbed michael powolny's wiener keramik, with whom he collaborated for many decades. In 1987, the museum für angewandte kunst (mak) in vienna organized an exhibition in his honor. The museum still has a permanent exhibition of his works and also organizes special exhibitions on the architect and his contemporaries.


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