Item number: 60130
A rare set of 12 Art Nouveau 800 grade silver lobster forks “Iris” World Exhibition #2400,
Heilbronn circa 1900 by Bruckmann & Söhne
Art Nouveau floral pattern on both sides. The centre is decorated with an engraved and partially open-worked motif of a lobster to the front and back.
Original without monogram and in a contemporary cutlery box. Extremely rare!
18.4 cm / 7.24″ length; 415,3 g / 13.35 oz
The “Iris” pattern cutlery #2400 by Bruckmann & Söhne
The pattern of these lobster forks was named #2400 at Bruckmann & Söhne and is known today to collectors as “Iris pattern” or “Iris World Exhibition”. The cutlery was designed in the classical, floral Art Nouveau style and was clearly related to cutlery designs of the French Art Nouveau, especially those of Jean E. Puiforcat. It was first presented at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900 and awarded Bruckmann & Söhne a gold medal. The silver cutlery was produced in an extremely elaborate manner and comprised an enormous number of different cutlery and serving pieces, which in turn were designed differently at their handles. For the fish cutlery, for example, there exist different decorative varieties, such as a purely floral pattern or a variation with fish and seaweed, as well as a variant in which a lobster forms the handle of the fish knife, an octopus the handle of the fish fork and a crayfish the handle of the crab knife. Due to its elaborate manufacture, the World Exhibition cutlery was one of the most expensive flatware made by Bruckmann & Söhne. Today it is one of the most sought-after pieces of German Art Nouveau flatware. It was produced exclusively in silver.
