ANTIQUE 19thC AUSTRIAN CHINOISERIE SOLID SILVER TEA SET, KLINKOSCH c.1880

DESCRIPTION

Antique late-19th Century Austrian Chinoiserie solid silver three piece tea set, comprising of a teapot, sugar bowl and cream jug. Exceptionally hand crafted, of melon shape, repousse and finely chased work, depicting people of nobility surrounded by blossom trees and pogodas on finely tooled ground, applied with serpent motif handles and the hinged lid topped with a ball shaped finial. Such recurring scenes were favourite of Chinese court and painters of the Ming Dynasty and would continue to be used in later Chinese works of Art.
The style of the pieces closely resembles the examples from the 17th Century, a Chinese Export Silver coffee pot made circa 1670 of similar style, is now in the Royal Collection in the UK and is to be found in Queen Victoria’s former private seaside residence on the Isle of Wight, Osborne House.
What makes this coffee pot particularly unique is that it was only in 1652 that the first coffee house in London was opened. Undoubtedly this set was based around a similar piece that was probably in the Austrian Royal collection. Hallmarked Austrian silver (Diana's head 3, 800 standard), Vienna, Maker's mark J.C.K (Joseph Carl Klinkosch, Royal Silversmith, active 1822-1888) was a highly skilled Viennese silversmith, who flourished in 19th Century Europe.

Klinkosch was the son of the silversmith Carl Klinkosch and apprenticed at his father’s workshop from 1835 until 1839. The young Klinkosch became a certified silversmith in 1844, taking over his father’s business in 1851. In 1864, Klinkosch formed a partnership with Stephan Mayerhofer and the pair began trading as Mayerhofer & Klinkosch. The company expanded quickly and within a few years employed several hundred workers. Klinkosch continued to refine the style of the wares they produced, employing designers from Austria and other countries and adopting a traditional approach to manufacturing, which prioritised fine craftsmanship.

Mayerhofer & Klinkosch participated in the Viennese World Exhibition of 1873 and later the Parisian Exposition Universelle in 1878; at both events the firm won numerous silver and gold medals. In 1869/1870, Klinkosch ended his partnership with Mayerhofer and continued to run the company alone, renaming it 'J. C. Klinkosch'. The firm’s customers were drawn from the upper middle classes and the elite nobility of Europe. From 1855 Klinkosch held the Imperial Warrant to the Court of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria. Klinkosch was knighted in 1879, after which he became known as Joseph Carl Ritter von Klinkosch.

In 1884 Klinkosch retired and the company passed to his two sons, Arthur and Isidor. In 1918, the company was acquired by Arthur Krupp and was incorporated under the name 'J.C. Klinkosch AG'. The company was deleted from the Commercial Register in 1972.

CONDITION

In Great Condition - No Damage.

SIZE

TEAPOT
Height: 17cm
Width: 10 x 17cm
Weight: 400g

SUGAR BOWL
Height: 6cm
Width: 10 x 13cm
Weight: 180g

CREAM JUG
Height: 15cm
Width: 13 x 10cm
Weight: 335g