Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks
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 Hanau City Arms |
 The history of Hanau Silver in the "Antique Style" |
Attributed Pseudo-Marks & Known Trademarks of the Hanau Silver Industry| Key to mark citations: | [s#] = for pseudo-marks and trademarks recorded in Scheffler[14], the entry will show corresponding mark number [jgs] = for trademarks recorded in the Nachschlagebuch für Juweliere, Gold- und Silberschmiede[5], trade journal [dgj] = for trademarks recorded in the Deutsches Goldschmiede-Jahrbuch[11], trade journal [duk] = for trademarks recorded in Diebeners Uhrmacherkalender[13], trade journal [npr] = indicates marks that have not been previously referenced
Gebrüder Dingeldein | Hanau Founded 1868, merged with Karl Kurz around 1911, closed c. 1925. A successor firm, August Dingeldein & Söhne, maintained a Hanau workshop, the firm also opened a New York showroom and possibly had a workshop there. [20] Two grandsons of one the firm's founders..."moved to America, where both became prominent silversmiths: Otto Dingeldein of St. Louis and later Cape Girardeau, MO, and Karl Dingeldein of New Orleans." [22 member - blakstone] Exhibited • 1876 Philadelphia International Exhibition "Commended for their interesting collection of gold jewelry of superior execution." [2] Mark examples 4 & 5 show the full array of combined post-1911 Kurz/Dingeldein marks
Gebrüder Glaser | Hanau Founded 1883, merged in 1914 with Wolf & Knell to form Vereinigte Silberwarenfabriken "Gebrüder Glaser manufactures consumer and luxury goods of every kind both small and large, such as plaques, beakers, candlesticks,... jewelry boxes, cups in old German style,... tea strainers, bonbonnieres, purse frames, tea caddies, etc.. They specialize in making all types of animals and birds, and Empire style work, such as jardinières, sugar baskets, sugar bowls and cups, salts, and mustard pots. They always maintain a stock of arts and crafts items in Renaissance, Rococo and Empire styles." [9] Exhibited • 1904 St. Louis International Exposition [8]
Gebrüder Gutgesell | Hanau Founded 1883 Valentin & Ferdinand Gutgesell Antique silver reproductions & judaica. [9, 10] Taken over by Josef Oswald sometime after 1938 [17]
Hanauer Silberwaren-Manufaktur | Hanau 1891-1906 First firm of Georg Roth Antique silver reproductions succeeded by Georg Roth & Co. [17]
Ferdinand C. Henzler | Hanau Founded 1902
David Kugelmann | Bad Kissingen late 19th / early 20th C. Exhibited • 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition [3]
J. Kurz & Co. | Hanau Founded 1848, worked until after 1961. Johann Sigismund Kurz
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Karl Kurz | Kesselstadt Founded c.1877, seems to have merged with Gebrüder Dingeldein around 1911, but was noted again as a single entity in 1929.[17] "In 1911, August Dingeldein married a daughter of Karl Kurz, who had left his father's silver shop - Johann Siegmund Kurz & Co... to establish his own. At this time, Dingeldein inherited Kurz's dies, patterns and pseudo-marks."[22 member - blakstone] The merged Kurz/Dingeldein firm continued the use of the pseudos in marks 5 & 6 - sans the "KKK" trademark.
Friedrich Läger & Cie. | Hanau founded 1893 Noted as a manufacturer of antique style silver. [7]
Wilhelm Ludwig | Hanau c.1935-1972 manufacturer of antique & modern style silver, taken over by Wilhelm Geist & Sohn in 1972. [22]
B. Neresheimer & Söhne | Hanau Founded 1893 L. Neresheimer & Co. from 1903 August Neresheimer, Ludwig Neresheimer, and Jean Schlingloff "In the silver-goods trade, which is carried on under excellent conditions, the imitation of antiquities plays, and has always played, a large part, especially in the more splendid works of bygone times, and it is in this direction that Messrs. B. Neresheimer and Sohne are best known... I was able to see the careful and artistic manner in which they produced copies of the Old masters. Nothing was too small or too large, everything being copied with a care and minuteness which were indeed creditable...Nuremberg work, double lady cups, old goblets, snuff boxes and a hundred and one beautiful little objects which remain to show the beauty of the old German silversmiths' work, were being copied for the wholesale market."[7] Exhibited • 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition [3] 1904 St. Louis International Exposition [8]
Gebrüder Neumann | Hanau Founded 1926 Comparisons of other mark groups (not pictured here), hint that Neumann may have taken over Storck & Sinnsheimer when they folded in 1926.
Friedrich Reusswig | Hanau 1903-1926
Simon Rosenau | Bad Kissingen 1862-c.1932 "Simon Rosenau (b. 1839, d. 1920) started in Kissingen in 1862. He also had a branch in Paris. He was first listed as "Hofantiquar", roughly: supplier of antiques to the royal Bavarian court. His son Hermann Simon Rosenau (b. 1861, d. 1943) took over his father's business in the 1890ies and started selling antique silverware in the Hanau style. H. S. Rosenau's ties with the Hanau industry (most notably Schleissner and Neresheimer) were strong and I believe that much of the "old" silver with the Rosenau mark was actually made by Hanau based companies. He retired in 1932. I don't know what happened to the shop after that. H.S. Rosenau then first lived in Munich, later in Paris, from where he was deported on October 28th, 1943 via Drancy to Auschwitz."[22 member - Bahner] Exhibited • 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition [3]
Georg Roth & Co. | Hanau 1891-c.1919 Hanauer Silberwaren-Manufaktur • 1891-1906 Georg Roth & Co. • 1906-c.1919 "The medallions and floral scrolls, usually on a pierced ground, that characterize Roth's work are reasonably distinctive. [22 member - blakstone]
Georg Rüttinger | Hanau founded 1926 Silver manufacturer, antique & modern styles, including small items and Judaica.[17]
J. D. Schleissner & Söhne | Hanau c.1817-present Founded by Johann Daniel Christian Schleissner (b.1793-d.1862). Johann's son, Daniel Philipp August Schleissner (b.1825-d.1891), was a great admirer of the renaissance, baroque and rococo periods. Daniel had studied many private and public collections of genuine old silver and acquired much knowledge of the design aesthetics of these periods. He possessed the business acumen to use this knowledge, combined with the application modern silver manufacturing techniques, to efficiently and accurately reproduce fine antique pieces. Under his aegis, the firm emerged as Hanau's pre-eminent producer of antique style silverware in the latter 19th century.[21] Exhibited • 1893 Chicago Worlds Columbian Exposition [3] 1904 St. Louis International Exposition [21]
Jean L. Schlingloff | Hanau 1907-c.1930 In 1890, Jean Schlingloff was one of the partners of Neresheimer & Co., by the early twentieth century he'd founded his own firm. "For antique style silver spoons with figural or armorial handles, J. L. Schlingloff, Hanau is recommended. They maintain an extensive assortment in stock." [10]
Karl Söhnlein & Söhne | Hanau 1888-1956 Manufacturer of antique and modern style silverware. In 1956, Söhnlein was taken over by Schleissner.
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Storck & Sinsheimer | Hanau 1874-1926 Jakob Storck & Louis Sinsheimer "Storck & Sinsheimer produces silver mounted glass items, toilet bottles and the like". [9] The firm was probably taken over by Gebrüder Neumann Exhibited • 1876 Philadelphia International Exhibition [2]
Vereinigte Silberwarenfabriken | Hanau 1914-after 1929 Formed by the merger of Gebrüder Glaser with Wolf & Knell.
Weinranck & Schmidt | Hanau 1889 - ? Wilhelm Weinranck and Fritz Schmidt "The firm of Weinranck & Schmidt specializes in handmade silver and also produces purse frames, etc." [9]
Wilhelm Weinranck | Hanau founded 1899 manufacturer of antique & modern style silver, taken over by Wilhelm Geist & Sohn in 1970
/Wolf & Knell | Hanau Founded 1887, merged in 1914 with Gebrüder Glaser to form Vereinigte Silberwarenfabriken A Wolf & Knell trade catalog advertised a copy of an early 17th century jug by Johannes Lencker of Augsburg. [12]
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 Oswald Worg | Hanau founded 1897 Noted as a manufacturer of antique style silver. [9]
E. G. Zimmermann | Hanau from 1842 Primarily an iron and bronze founder, mark example #1 is from a cast iron candlestick. Zimmermann was also known to produce bronze electrotyped (galvanoplastic) pieces in the antique style, it is unclear if the firm produced silverware. It is noted that they acted as a trade agents for other Hanau firms manufacturing silver . "Classical work in the archeological mode (shown under the aegis of an agent, E. G. Zimmermann of Hanau) was sent to the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876..." [15] Exhibited • 1876 Philadelphia International Exhibition [2] Exhibited • 1893 Chicago Worlds Columbian Exposition [3]
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During Hanau's prime years of antique silver reproduction, there were a great number of manufacturers in the city. The extent of pseudo mark usage by the majority of these makers is not currently known. Below is a list Hanau makers that spans c.1850-c.1950; the list excludes those who made jewelry exclusively, however it does include a number of jewelry manufacturers that were also known to have made small silver objects. Some of these makers have known trademarks, but as far as my current research has determined, no pseudomarks have yet been attributed to any on the list. |
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Hanau silver manufacturers were keenly aware of the importance of foreign trade. To facilitate this, the industry made sure to have a substantial presence at every important international trade exposition held in the second half of the nineteenth century, including: London 1851, Paris 1855, Vienna 1873, Philadelphia 1876, Melbourne 1880, London 1891, Scheveningen 1893, Chicago 1893, Paris 1900 and St. Louis 1904. In 1873, it was noted that the Hanau silver and jewelry industry already had sales representatives in " New York... London, Lima, Santiago de Chile, Rio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, Havana, Moscow, Naples, and even in Berlin." [1] |
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for London sponsors' marks[15] | ||||||
| Sources
1Amtlicher Bericht über die Wiener Weltausstellung im Jahre 1873 - Vieweg; Braunschwieg, 1874 2International Exhibition, 1876: Official Catalogue - U. S. Centennial Commission; Philadelphia, 1876 3World's Columbian Exposition, 1893: Official Catalogue - M. P. Handy; Conkey, Chicago, 1893 4The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - vol.27 no.16; Jewelers' Circular Pub. Co., 1893 5Nachschlagebuch für Juweliere, Gold- und Silberschmiede - Verband Deutscher J. G. & S.; Berlin, 1902/05 6Journal der Goldschmiedekunst - vol.24; Schlag, Leipzig, 1903 7Watchmaker, Jeweller, Silversmith & Optician - W. Augustus Steward; Heywood & Co., London, 1903 8Weltausstellung in St. Louis 1904 - Reichskommission; Stilke, Berlin, 1904 9Journal der Goldschmiedekunst - vol.26; Schlag, Leipzig, 1905 10Journal der Goldschmiedekunst - vol.29; Schlag, Leipzig, 1908 11Deutsches Goldschmiede-Jahrbuch - Schlag, Leipzig, 1913 12Der Goldschmiede Merkzeichen - Marc Rosenberg; vol.1 p.74, Frankfurt, 1922 13Diebeners Uhrmacherkalender - Diebener; Leipzig, 1922 14Goldschmiede Hessens: Daten, Werke, Zeichen - Wolfgang Scheffler; De Gruyter, Berlin & New York, 1976 15The History of Silver - Claude Blair; Ballantine 1987 16The Directory of Gold and Silversmiths: Jewellers and Allied Traders 1838-1914 - John Culme; 1987 17Tafel- und Schausilber des Historismus aus Hanau - Bruno-Wilhelm Thiele; Tubingen Wasmuth 1992 18The Antique Silver Industry of Hanau Pt. I - Dorothea Burstyn; Silver Magazine, Sept/Oct 1997 19The Antique Silver Industry of Hanau Pt. II - Dorothea Burstyn; Silver Magazine, Nov/Dec 1997 20Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers (4th ed.) - D. T. Rainwater & J. Redfield; Schiffer, 1998 21Hanau Silver in the "Antique Style" and Its Marks - Jörg Müller-Daehn; 925-1000.com, 2009 22925-1000.com Silver Marks Forum - various member posts, 2005-2009 Acknowledgments
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