Spoon
Spoon
ca. 1908 (made), 1902 (designed)
ca. 1908 (made), 1902 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The design originated in a commission that the State of Weimar gave to van de Velde. It was for presentation to the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar in 1902.
Henri Van de Velde studied painting at the Antwerp Academy, but in 1892 he decided to become a designer. He was greatly influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris. By 1898 he had founded his own studio and factory near Brussels. In 1900 he moved his office to Berlin. He was a prolific writer, and wrote many articles in which he stressed the importance of line in ornament. His early graphic designs are often completely abstract. His early metalwork designs also show great freedom and invention in the prevailing Art Nouveau style.
Henri Van de Velde studied painting at the Antwerp Academy, but in 1892 he decided to become a designer. He was greatly influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris. By 1898 he had founded his own studio and factory near Brussels. In 1900 he moved his office to Berlin. He was a prolific writer, and wrote many articles in which he stressed the importance of line in ornament. His early graphic designs are often completely abstract. His early metalwork designs also show great freedom and invention in the prevailing Art Nouveau style.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Spoon (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Silver |
| Brief description | Spoon, silver, designed by Henry van de Velde, Germany c.1905-6. |
| Physical description | The silver spoon has an ovoid bowl and is connected to a narrow stem with chamfered edges which curve and spread towards a flat handle. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | left hand edge of stem: “925” denoting purity, German standard mark, crown, moon
no maker’s mark |
| Object history | The design originated in a commission from van de Velde by the State of Weimar for presentation to the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar in 1902. (Henry Van de Velde born Antwerp, 1863 - died Zurich, 1957) Van de Velde initially studied painting at the Antwerp Academy, before deciding on a career as a designer in 1892. He was heavily influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris. By 1898, he had founded his own studio and factory near Brussels, moving his office to Berlin in 1900. A prolific writer, he stressed the importance of line in ornament in his many articles. His early graphic designs are often completely abstract and his early metalwork designs also display remarkable freedom and invention in the prevailing Art Nouveau style. |
| Summary | The design originated in a commission that the State of Weimar gave to van de Velde. It was for presentation to the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar in 1902. Henri Van de Velde studied painting at the Antwerp Academy, but in 1892 he decided to become a designer. He was greatly influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris. By 1898 he had founded his own studio and factory near Brussels. In 1900 he moved his office to Berlin. He was a prolific writer, and wrote many articles in which he stressed the importance of line in ornament. His early graphic designs are often completely abstract. His early metalwork designs also show great freedom and invention in the prevailing Art Nouveau style. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic reference | Henry van de Velde, Ein europaischer Kunstler seiner Zeit, Klaus-Jurgen Sembach and Birgit Schulfe, Wienand Verlag, Cologne, 1992, p. 308. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.31-1993 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | March 3, 2004 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
