Silver objects from Art Deco & Art Nouveau – elegant collector's items
Icebox Tommaso Barbi, Italy
Tommaso Barbi, ice cube bucket, Italy, 1970s
Elegant silver bowl from the renowned Brussels manufactory Wolfers Frères
This fine silver bowl features chased bead handles on both sides, adding a subtly decorative touch to its clean lines. Crafted from solid silver, the piece impresses with its balanced proportions and the characteristic precision of Wolfers Frères, one of Belgium's most important silversmiths.
The minimalist, timelessly elegant design evokes the late Art Deco period of the 1930s, during which the Wolfers workshops developed a clear, functional design language. The combination of the smooth, polished surface and the strictly rhythmic beaded rim demonstrates the high degree of design sensitivity with which the company translated traditional motifs into the modern era.
The A800 silver hallmark, which was not officially standardized in Belgium until 1942, can be found occasionally on Wolfers Frères pieces as early as the 1930s. It served as an internal quality mark and was frequently used on export pieces. This plausibly places the creation of this bowl in the late 1930s. The combination of the boar's head as the official silver mark and the "W" for Wolfers clearly confirms its origin in the Brussels workshop.
This piece exemplifies the understated elegance of Belgian silversmithing between Art Nouveau and Modernism and impressively documents the craftsmanship and aesthetic level of Wolfers Frères in the interwar period.
About the Manufactory: Wolfers Frères
The long-established goldsmith and silversmith Wolfers Frères was founded in Brussels in 1812 by the goldsmith Louis Wolfers, originally from Linden, Germany. From a small workshop, it quickly developed into one of Belgium's leading manufacturers of silverware, cutlery, and jewelry. The characteristic "W" beneath the boar's head, used as the official maker's mark since 1852, became the company's unmistakable trademark.
Under Philippe Wolfers (1858–1929), the company reached its artistic zenith around 1900. Philippe, son of the company's founder, is considered one of the leading figures of Belgian Art Nouveau. His designs combined sculptural natural forms with symbolic expressiveness and earned him international acclaim. His jewelry and silverware are now regarded as key works of Belgian Art Nouveau.
After Philippe's death, his descendants successfully continued to run the workshops. In the 1930s, Wolfers Frères significantly influenced Belgian Art Deco before the company increasingly shifted to industrial production after World War II. The company's history as a family business ended in the late 1960s; the trademark rights were acquired by larger corporations.
The Wolfers Frères jewelry store on Rue d’Arenberg in Brussels, designed by Victor Horta, has been faithfully reconstructed and is now housed in the Royal Museum of Art and History. A large part of the family archive, as well as the famous Wolfers & Petrucci collection with masterpieces by Philippe Wolfers, are permanently exhibited there – an impressive testament to Belgian jewelry and silver art of international standing.
