Silver objects from Art Deco & Art Nouveau – elegant collector's items
Large Art Nouveau tray with crystal bowls
WMF
Silver-plated letter holder with floral Art Nouveau decoration. The finely modelled front features three large blossoms with delicately sculpted, naturalistic leaves and tendrils, intertwining into a harmonious ornamental composition. The piece rests on a flat oval base whose flowing contours echo the organic forms of the motif.
The object dates from around 1900, the height of the European Art Nouveau period. Typical of this era are the fluid lines and organic shapes inspired by plants and flowers. In designs such as this, WMF combined decorative elegance with technical precision, turning functional objects into works of applied art.
Hallmarks
The letter holder is marked WMFB, as, I/O.
The mark “WMFB” stands for WMF Britannia Metal Factory, the English export mark of the Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik. This hallmark was primarily used between approximately 1890 and 1914.
The abbreviation “I/O” means “single plated,” referring to a standard-grade silver plating. The designation “as” is an internal WMF production and model code identifying a specific design or finish rather than the metal composition.
The base material is typically Britannia metal (a tin–antimony–copper alloy) or Alpacca (a copper–nickel–zinc alloy), the standard substrates used by WMF around 1900 for electroplated silver objects.
