ANTIQUE 19thC AUSTRIAN SILVER, ENAMEL & ROCK CRYSTAL EWER, RUDOLF LINKE c.1890
Antique 19th Century Austrian rare and unusual solid silver-gilt & enamel rock crystal ewer. The rock crystal engraved with chimeras among scrollwork, silver gilt mounts pierced and enamelled. The caryatid scroll handle with satyr head terminal. Hallmarked Austrian-Hungarian assay city letter A (Vienna), circa 1890, Makers mark RL (Rudolf Linke).
Reference Number: A9974
DESCRIPTION
Antique 19th Century Austrian rare and unusual solid silver-gilt & enamel rock crystal ewer. The rock crystal engraved with chimeras among scrollwork, silver gilt mounts pierced and enamelled. The caryatid scroll handle with satyr head terminal. Hallmarked Austrian-Hungarian assay city letter A (Vienna), circa 1890, Makers mark RL (Rudolf Linke).
At the end of the 19th century, Rudolf Linke was a respectable silversmith and enameller in Vienna. His workshop specialised in silver tableware, table centrepieces and jewellery, designed mostly in Neo-Renaissance style, also called Historismus.
Linke's fantasy enamelled objects - such as nefs, mantel clocks, cornucopias, ewers, drinking horns and other vessels - were usually lavishly decorated with carved rock crystal inlays and adorned with mounted silver details. His impeccable enamels were usually performed in the polychromed pink-centred colour palette, painted with biblical or mythological scenes.
Aside from large usable objects, Linke produced intricate enamelled miniatures. Apple-sized jewel stands, tri-fold screens, cabinet clocks and other pieces were decorated with ornate Rococo silver details and finely detailed enamel panels, depicting classic scenes. These stunning articles were highly embraced by the bourgeois clientele.
Along with such prolific artisans as Hermann Ratzersdorfer, Hermann Bohm, Ludwig Politzer, Rudolf Linke presented the excellent craftsmanship of Austrian enamelling in the last third of the 19th century. Nowadays, his splendid decorative silver items are sought after by the collectors.
CONDITION
Hairline crack along the main body, Wear expected with age. Please refer to photographs.
SIZE
Height: 24.5 cm // 9.65 in
Width: 16 cm // 6.3 in
Depth: 8 cm // 3.15 in
Weight: 625g