Maria Regnier Modernist Sterling Strainer, St Louis, Missouri, c. 1940's

This rare and beautiful hand-wrought strainer has a bold modern design with a large round bowl pierced with rows of circles emanating from a central snowflake decoration. Strainers this size were multifunctional for tea, punch, etc. The tapered handle has a cutout 'EB' monogram at its top. The beauty is enhanced with a shimmering, hammered surface.

One seldom finds an item created by Maria Regnier on the market. For a wonderful article about Maria Regnier, see Maria Regnier: Rediscovering a Modernist Silversmith by Marissa S. Hershon, Silver Magazine, November/ December 2018, pp. 18-25. 

This rare item is marked 'MR' and sterling. It measures 6 inches long with a bowl diameter of just shy of 3.5 inches. It weighs 2.15 troy ounces and is in very good condition.