PLIQUE-A-JOUR
Caddie
spoon, Marius Hammer, Bergen
PLIQUE-À-JOUR
(pronounced:
'pleek-uh-joor' )
is the rarest,
most
technically
difficult, and prettiest of the various enamel
processes used in
precious
metal designs.
The
result of all the skilled workmanship is to
create a 'stained glass effect' using colored transparent backless
enamels.
Only a few companies made spoons in this style.
Unfortunately I do not have the proper lighting setup that is required
to photograph these spoons properly,
so you will have to use your imagination and envision a stained glass
window.
The enamels are bright and vivid when a strong light shines through
them and my photography just does not
capture that brilliance.
Some of these beautiful spoons have not yet had their manufacturer
identified.
If you can be of help please contact me.
1. David Andersen, Norway
2. Georg Scheid, Austria
1. David Andersen, Norway
2. David Andersen, Norway
3. fantastic art nouveau butterfly finial
unknown American manufacture
1. Unknown American manufacturer
2. David Andersen, Norway
3. Unknown American manufacturer, from Chicago worlds fair of 1893
2. J. Tostrup of Christiania (Oslo), Norway
4. the Campbell Metcalf filligree was offered in several colors and
also an unenameled economy version.
others not traced
Four spoons by Georg Adam Scheid of Vienna. (Mark is
G.A.S.)
The handles and bowls were formed by lost wax casting.
The finial was made by wire work.
The bowls create quite a beautiful display.
1. Beautiful art nouveau style handle
3. Campbell Metcalf, Providence, Rhode Island (1892-1898)
David Andersen (also available in different color schemes)
1.
2. Campbell Metcalf
3. Campbell Metcalf
4. Johan G. Kjaerland of Bergen, Norway
5. J. Tostrup of Christiania (Oslo), Norway
all four spoons from David Andersen, Norway
1. Marius Hammer of Bergen
unknown manufacturer
2. Georg Adam Scheid of Vienna
1. J. Tostrup
2. Marius Hammer
2. J. Tostrup
3. pickle fork, J. Tostrup
Beautiful plique-a-jour by Georg Adam Scheid of Vienna ca.1900
According to Mr. R. Corson this "is a member of a family of spoons all
with triangular bowls, bearing Arabic or Turkish calligraphy
and parallel wire handles decorated with plique-a-jour
elements,
usually with a crescent and star finial. I have 13 of these
in 2
sizes, and this is a new handle design and calligraphy I
haven't
seen before. These spoons were made both for the
Turkish
trade and the tourists. "
Mr. W. Kundis has provided further enlightenment. He states that " it's
Ottoman Turkish written with Arabic letters. What does it say?:
CHICAGO!"
Mr. Corson has further verified that Georg Scheid was an exhibitor at
the 1893 Columbian Worlds fair and has documentation indicating that
these spoons were sold at the fair.
I do not know if this spoon was sold as a souvenir or if it was part of
the display at the fair.
Plique-a-jour surrounds the cutout of 'Mexico' on this 800 silver spoon
which also features
a scene of the zocalo in Mexico City. I suspect this spoon was made in
Germany or Austria in the 1880's
Damaged examples
(worth substantially less)
Plique-à-jour spoons
are rare
and expensive for their size.
Enameling processes
range from simple to complicated and objects resulting should be
evaluated
on the basis of the skill of workmanship required as well as the beauty
of
the product. Cold
enameling (epoxy) is
similar to painting-by-numbers, they are a low skilled
endeavor
and
should not command a premium price. Cloisonnè and
Champlevè are a much
more difficult
process
(but the Chinese have figured out how to mass produce Champlevè)
and
should command a much higher price. Plique-à-jour is the
most
difficult
enameling process and requires a highly skilled artistic silversmith.
Even
under the best of circumstances there are often problems in the
production
process. Plique-à-jour spoons sell between $40 and $200+.
I want to thank B. Corson for helping me identify some of
these
pieces
Other items are also made using
plique-à-jour. Click
to see a set of hors-d'ouvre picks
To see a set of 6
plique-à-jour
spoons--Click
Here
Mr. Corson has now put many of
his spoons on the internet. You can see those spoons by clicking
Here
Return to SPOON PLANET EXHIBITS Index
Caddie spoon, Marius Hammer, Bergen
PLIQUE-À-JOUR (pronounced: 'pleek-uh-joor' )
The result of all the skilled workmanship is to create a 'stained glass effect' using colored transparent backless enamels.
Only a few companies made spoons in this style.Unfortunately I do not have the proper lighting setup that is required to photograph these spoons properly,
so you will have to use your imagination and envision a stained glass window.
The enamels are bright and vivid when a strong light shines through them and my photography just does not
capture that brilliance.
Some of these beautiful spoons have not yet had their manufacturer identified.
If you can be of help please contact me.
1. David Andersen, Norway
2. Georg Scheid, Austria
1. David Andersen, Norway
2. David Andersen, Norway
3. fantastic art nouveau butterfly finial
unknown American manufacture
1. Unknown American manufacturer
2. David Andersen, Norway
3. Unknown American manufacturer, from Chicago worlds fair of 1893
2. J. Tostrup of Christiania (Oslo), Norway
4. the Campbell Metcalf filligree was offered in several colors and also an unenameled economy version.
others not traced
Four spoons by Georg Adam Scheid of Vienna. (Mark is G.A.S.)
The handles and bowls were formed by lost wax casting.
The finial was made by wire work.
The bowls create quite a beautiful display.
1. Beautiful art nouveau style handle
3. Campbell Metcalf, Providence, Rhode Island (1892-1898)
David Andersen (also available in different color schemes)
1.
2. Campbell Metcalf
3. Campbell Metcalf
4. Johan G. Kjaerland of Bergen, Norway
5. J. Tostrup of Christiania (Oslo), Norway
all four spoons from David Andersen, Norway
1. Marius Hammer of Bergen
unknown manufacturer
2. Georg Adam Scheid of Vienna
1. J. Tostrup
2. Marius Hammer
2. J. Tostrup
3. pickle fork, J. Tostrup
Beautiful plique-a-jour by Georg Adam Scheid of Vienna ca.1900
According to Mr. R. Corson this "is a member of a family of spoons all with triangular bowls, bearing Arabic or Turkish calligraphy and parallel wire handles decorated with plique-a-jour elements, usually with a crescent and star finial. I have 13 of these in 2 sizes, and this is a new handle design and calligraphy I haven't seen before. These spoons were made both for the Turkish trade and the tourists. "
Mr. W. Kundis has provided further enlightenment. He states that " it's Ottoman Turkish written with Arabic letters. What does it say?: CHICAGO!"
Mr. Corson has further verified that Georg Scheid was an exhibitor at the 1893 Columbian Worlds fair and has documentation indicating that these spoons were sold at the fair.
I do not know if this spoon was sold as a souvenir or if it was part of the display at the fair.
Plique-a-jour surrounds the cutout of 'Mexico' on this 800 silver spoon which also features
a scene of the zocalo in Mexico City. I suspect this spoon was made in Germany or Austria in the 1880's
Damaged examples
(worth substantially less)
Plique-à-jour spoons are rare and expensive for their size. Enameling processes range from simple to complicated and objects resulting should be evaluated on the basis of the skill of workmanship required as well as the beauty of the product. Cold enameling (epoxy) is similar to painting-by-numbers, they are a low skilled endeavor and should not command a premium price. Cloisonnè and Champlevè are a much more difficult process (but the Chinese have figured out how to mass produce Champlevè) and should command a much higher price. Plique-à-jour is the most difficult enameling process and requires a highly skilled artistic silversmith. Even under the best of circumstances there are often problems in the production process. Plique-à-jour spoons sell between $40 and $200+.
I want to thank B. Corson for helping me identify some of these piecesOther items are also made using plique-à-jour. Click to see a set of hors-d'ouvre picks
To see a set of 6 plique-à-jour spoons--Click Here
Mr. Corson has now put many of his spoons on the internet. You can see those spoons by clicking Here
Return to SPOON PLANET EXHIBITS Index