Item number: 59076
An Art Nouveau 800 grade silver fish cutlery,
Bremen circa 1900 by Koch & Bergfeld
The lower ends of the handles with fish decoration which varies between the knives and forks. Excellent condition and without monogram.
Length: forks 17.9 cm / 7.04″, knives 21.4 cm / 8.42″; 595.3 g / 19.13 oz
The silverware factory Koch & Bergfeld in Bremen
In 1829 the company Koch & Bergfeld was founded as a workshop for gold and silverware by Gottfried Koch and Ludwig Bergfeld in Bremen. The company flourished and in 1875 the initially small workshop had 100 workers, which made it necessary to build a new factory. By 1900, the workforce at Koch & Bergfeld had grown to 600 workers. In 1979, the company celebrated its 150th anniversary and still produces high quality silverware today.
Like Bruckmann & Söhne, Koch & Bergfeld engaged excellent artists of the time such as Hugo Leven, Albin Müller, Gustav Elsaß and Bernhard Hoetger. Koch & Bergfeld achieved international significance through the production of the “Model I” and “Model III” cutlery designed by Henry van de Velde. These flatware sets were originally to have been produced by the silversmith Theodor Müller in Weimar, who from 1902 onwards had produced a large number of other silver pieces based on designs by Henry van de Velde. Capacity limitations of the company, which was too small for such an order, forced it to award the contract to an external company. The choice went to the silversmiths Koch & Bergfeld, who produced this cutlery in a hand-forged version.
