Clemens Friedell 6 Arts & Crafts Sterling Silver Bowls/ Underplates, Pasadena, CA, c. 1920

Clemens Friedell made spectacular arts & crafts silver, and these bowls and plates are no exception. Executed with thick gauge, giving them great weight, just by handling them, one admires the quality and workmanship put into these pieces. The bowls are raised with flared, ruffled edges, and the underplates have a well to hold the bowls. Stunning hammering gives the bowls a great shimmering surface. Although they look applied, the 'ERT' monograms on the plates are actually repoussed - a skill Friedell excelled in.

Provenance: Private collection.

Clemens Friedell was one of the most famous silversmiths of the California arts and crafts movement during the early 20th century. He worked as a chaser for Gorham in their Martelé line and later executed his own pieces in Pasadena, California. Clemens's shop in Pasadena's exclusive Hotel Maryland allowed him to sell to the hotel's wealthy national clientele and local Hollywood stars. (1) 

Provenance: Private Collection.

All of these pieces are marked 'FRIEDELL/ STERLING/ PASADENA.' The bowls measure just over 4.5 inches in diameter by just over 1.5 inches high, with the under-plates being 6 inches in diameter. The total weight is an impressive 65.85 troy ounces  ounces and they are in excellent antique condition.

Endnotes:

1. T. Wells, "Clemens Friedell: The Master of the Monogram" in Silver Magazine, Nov/ Dec 2003, p. 20.