1910 Vienna Moderne Style Silver Candlestick by Hermann Bauer

This silver candlestick was produced by the small, but well respected German metalsmith firm of Hermann Bauer (Schwäbisch Gmünd) during the late Art Nouveau period (circa 1910s). The style of this piece certainly borrows heavily from Wiener Werkstatte / Vienna Moderne designers, such as Otto Prutscher and Dagobert Peche, and may very well have been designed by one of the notables for the German firm.

The candlestick is rendered in 800 silver, as was typical of most German silverwares at the time. The silver bobeches remove nicely for cleaning; another nice touch that puts this distinctively designed piece a notch above. Dimensions: 7"(H) x 9"(W).

The silversmith shop of Hermann Bauer was established in 1863 in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, a city well-known for artisan metal work and jewelry. The company founder Hermann Bauer was born in 1833 in Heilbronn and had to support his family at an early age due to the unexpected death of his father. Bauer apprenticed in silversmithing and quickly rose through the ranks given his skill in working metal. Bauer was commissioned to design the columns at the "Villa Mountain" in Stuttgart. After his apprenticeship Bauer travelled abroad in Holland, London and Paris, where he was inspired artistically to cofound a college of design back in his native Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. Budding entrepreneurship led him to found a silverware factory in 1863 under his name. The Hermann Bauer factory continues to produce finely crafted silver items to this day.