DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions’ Nov. 13 Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu Signature® Auction begins and ends with 20th-century design from iconic to rare, bookending a fascinating selection of 19th-century works by the likes of Paul Storr; Rundell, Bridge & Rundell; and a celebrated cast of American manufacturers.
Among the auction’s 294 lots is a five-piece silver tea and coffee service created in 1985 by the renowned silversmith Ubaldo Vitali. “A stunning blend of functionality and artistic expression, the service boasts sleek, fluid curves that create an interplay of kinetic reflections, inviting the viewer to circle the set and observe how it changes with each step,” says Karen Rigdon, Heritage’s Vice President of Fine Silver & Decorative Arts.
The sculptural tea and coffee service is a copy of a set Vitali produced as a commission for the Newark Museum of Art’s 75th anniversary in 1984. The museum’s curator of decorative arts, Ulysses G. Dietz, tasked the New Jersey-based silversmith with crafting a silver tea set that reflected the museum’s forward-looking ethos and Vitali’s concept of functional sculpture. The resulting creation caught the eye of museumgoers Eunice and Howard Gelb, who were so captivated by the work that they asked Vitali to make a version for their collection. This only copy of the service is titled “Newark Museum Anniversary Set #1,” which is inscribed to the coffee pot’s base.
“The only significant difference between the two sets is the tray,” Rigdon says. “The original, in the Newark Museum’s collection, has a black synthetic bottom, while this later example is made entirely of silver, adding more reflective surface.”
Vitali’s design approach departs from traditional decoration, using light as his primary tool. As he wrote in the introduction to his 1990 exhibition at the Contemporary Craft Gallery of the Newark Museum, “Unlike any other medium, silver has the magical power to absorb and transform its surroundings and through its reflections to re-create subliminal moods.” His Newark Museum Anniversary Set #1 stands as an exemplary piece of contemporary American silver, combining artistic vision with technical skill.
The auction also features a wide selection of traditional and contemporary silver from a New York Lady, highlighted by works by Elsa Peretti, Georg Jensen, Johan Rohde and Harald Nielsen for Georg Jensen A/S. The Peretti beauties include iconic late-20th-century designs for Tiffany & Co.: a Thumbprint pattern silver ice bucket and a set of six Bone pattern silver candlesticks, the latter of which pays tribute to the Italian jewelry designer’s famous Bone cuff, which Tiffany & Co. introduced in the 1970s. Another of the collection’s standout lots is a six-piece Georg Jensen silver Cosmos pattern tea and coffee service designed in 1917 by Johan Rohde.
Famed English silversmiths Paul Storr and Rundell, Bridge & Rundell also make an appearance in the auction, with exceptional works such as an elegant Paul Storr centerpiece dating to 1835 and a whimsical Rundell, Bridge & Rundell beer jug from 1826. There’s also a large 24-light Victorian centerpiece that’s nothing short of a showstopper. Measuring 45 inches across, the immense creation features eight scrolling branches, a removable center bowl and two rampant unicorns on its base.
Other auction highlights include an extensive service of Tiffany & Co. Lap-Over-Edge pattern flatware, a two-piece Gorham Mfg. Co. Narragansett pattern fish serving set, a Tiffany & Co. tea caddy with mokume butterflies and gourd, and a rare Samuel Bell coin silver cup. Produced in San Antonio circa 1855, the cup is typical of Bell’s drinking vessels. The silversmith purportedly used Mexican reales to produce tableware, spurs, Bowie knives and jewelry at his adobe storefront on the Texas city’s Commerce Street. Clientele listed in the company’s register included Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant and other prominent military figures, including Sam Houston, who wore a pair of Bell silver spurs at the Battle of San Jacinto.
