Milk Jug
ca. 1925 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Christian Dell (1893-1974) was one of the designers who played a formative role in shaping the Bauhaus style. Before going to the Bauhaus in Weimer in 1922, Christian Dell served an exacting apprenticeship as a silversmith, spending the years 1907-12 at the Schleissner & Söhne silver factory in Hanau as an apprentice while studying at the "Königlich Preußischen Zeichenakademie" in Hanau. In 1913 Christian Dell worked as a silversmith in Dresden before going to the "Kunstgewerbeschule" in Weimar, where he met Henry van de Velde.
After serving in the armed forces, Christian Dell was a journeyman in 1918-20 and then went to work in Munich as a master silversmith for Hestermann & Ernst. In 1920 Christian Dell went to Berlin to work for the silversmith Emil Lettré.
Then Dell returned to Hanau and reenrolled at the "Preußische Zeichenakademie". From 1922 until 1925 Christian Dell was a works master in the metalworking workshop at the "Bauhaus" in Weimar, where he collaborated closely with László Moholy-Nagy and produced numerous designs for office and workplace metal light fittings.
From 1926 until he was dismissed from his post by the National Socialists, Christian Dell was head of the metalworking workshop at the "Frankfurter Kunstschule". There he designed a great deal of lighting, including the "Rondella-Polo" (1926-27) table lamp and the "Idell" range, which was mass produced mainly by Kaiser & Co., Rondella, and, later, also by Bünte & Remmler.
After serving in the armed forces, Christian Dell was a journeyman in 1918-20 and then went to work in Munich as a master silversmith for Hestermann & Ernst. In 1920 Christian Dell went to Berlin to work for the silversmith Emil Lettré.
Then Dell returned to Hanau and reenrolled at the "Preußische Zeichenakademie". From 1922 until 1925 Christian Dell was a works master in the metalworking workshop at the "Bauhaus" in Weimar, where he collaborated closely with László Moholy-Nagy and produced numerous designs for office and workplace metal light fittings.
From 1926 until he was dismissed from his post by the National Socialists, Christian Dell was head of the metalworking workshop at the "Frankfurter Kunstschule". There he designed a great deal of lighting, including the "Rondella-Polo" (1926-27) table lamp and the "Idell" range, which was mass produced mainly by Kaiser & Co., Rondella, and, later, also by Bünte & Remmler.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver and walnut |
| Brief description | Milk jug, silver with a walnut handle, Germany, Weimar, designed and made by Christain Dell, ca.1925. |
| Physical description | Milk jug, silver with a walnut handle. The body of the jug consists of a small funnel (oval in cross section) ste upon a bulging, oval shaped base; a narrow shaft runs down one side of the funnel with a small spout at its top. The handle consists of an almost circular disc of walnut set into a narrow shaft of silver on the opposite side of the spout. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | Monogram and marks on base of all pieces (stamped 900 and with Dell’s monogram) |
| Object history | From a tea and coffee service. Dell served his apprenticeship in Hanau before working as a silversmith in Dresden while being trained at the Kunstgewerbeschule under Henri Van de Velde. After military service in the first world war, he worked for Emil Lettré in Berlin before joining the Bauhaus in 1922 where he was head of the metal workshop until 1925, working closely with Lásló Moholy-Nagy. Unlike many of his Bauhaus colleagues, he did not reject historicism entirely and yet nonetheless, his silver during his period at the Bauhaus is strongly geometrical in character. From 1926 until 1933, he taught at the Frankfurt Art School as well as design several light fittings for industrial mass production. He was removed from his teaching post in 1933 by the Nazi government and later set up his own jewellery business in Wiesbaden. |
| Summary | Christian Dell (1893-1974) was one of the designers who played a formative role in shaping the Bauhaus style. Before going to the Bauhaus in Weimer in 1922, Christian Dell served an exacting apprenticeship as a silversmith, spending the years 1907-12 at the Schleissner & Söhne silver factory in Hanau as an apprentice while studying at the "Königlich Preußischen Zeichenakademie" in Hanau. In 1913 Christian Dell worked as a silversmith in Dresden before going to the "Kunstgewerbeschule" in Weimar, where he met Henry van de Velde. After serving in the armed forces, Christian Dell was a journeyman in 1918-20 and then went to work in Munich as a master silversmith for Hestermann & Ernst. In 1920 Christian Dell went to Berlin to work for the silversmith Emil Lettré. Then Dell returned to Hanau and reenrolled at the "Preußische Zeichenakademie". From 1922 until 1925 Christian Dell was a works master in the metalworking workshop at the "Bauhaus" in Weimar, where he collaborated closely with László Moholy-Nagy and produced numerous designs for office and workplace metal light fittings. From 1926 until he was dismissed from his post by the National Socialists, Christian Dell was head of the metalworking workshop at the "Frankfurter Kunstschule". There he designed a great deal of lighting, including the "Rondella-Polo" (1926-27) table lamp and the "Idell" range, which was mass produced mainly by Kaiser & Co., Rondella, and, later, also by Bünte & Remmler. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic reference | L'Esprit du Bauhaus, ed. by Chloé Demey. Catalogue of the exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 19 October 2016 - 26 February 2017. Paris: Les Arts Décoratifs / Fondation d'entreprise Hermès, 2016. ISBN 9782916914633 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.260-1970 |
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| Record created | March 3, 2004 |
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