Shreve & Co Lily Pad Antique Sterling Silver Suite, San Francisco, CA, c. 1905

This stunning art nouveau suite includes a pair of tall candlesticks and compote. This uncommon design incorporates overlapping lily pads with a hammered surface and leaves with chased veins as the bases. The stems have two twisting vines crawling upwards terminating with buds.  The upper areas of the stems are chased with waterleaf. The bowl of the compote has a plain interior with a stunning border of overlapping lily pad leaves. The flat drip pans match the compote and frame the bud-form socle.

An inscription under each piece reads 'Mrs. WILLIAM HERBERT YOUNG/ CHICAGO, ILL'.

An excellent article in Silver Magazine discusses this design and a 'rare and likely unique' 102 piece holloware dinner service. It even illustrates original inventory cards which show, for example, that each candlestick used 21.5 ounces and took 240 hours to make. (1)

All pieces are marked 'SHREVE & CO/ STERLING/ WEIGHTED. The candlesticks are also marked 'SAN FRANCISCO' with the model number '9593' and are 15 inches tall. The compote is also marked '9592' and measures 8 inches in diameter by 9.25 inches tall. The suite is in excellent antique condition.

Endnote:

1. Pansylea Howard Willburn, "Water Lily and Pond Lily" in Silver Magazine, July/August 2010, pp. 16-23.