code: wb3148
Ornate sterling silver ink blotter made in Hanau Germany, c.1890, probably by the firm Wolf and Knell.
The touch marks are listed as unidentified on the Silvercollection.it website and as possibly Wolf and Knell on 925-100.com.
We are fortunate to have 2 of these blotters. The other blotter has the touchmarks of the Hanau firm of Vereinigte Silberwarenfabriken, formed by the merger of Wolf and Knell with Gebrüder Glasser.
The two are identical, save that the blotter listed here is slightly larger, an indication that the Vereinigte blotter is likely a cast copy of the older Wolf & Knell blotter.
While this is not positive proof, it is a good indication that the Pseudo marks are those of Wolf & Knell.
This interesting blotter has musicians on one side and a lady pouring water from a jug on the other, with all of the participants being surrounded by scroll, floral and foliate decorations.
The knob handle has matching ornate scroll, floral and foliate decorations.
The blotter is 4 3/4" long, 2 3/4" wide, 3 1/2" tall and weighs a total of 203 grams or 6.5 ozs. Troy.
The excellent original condition and clear, crisp detail, with no monograms, removals, repairs or alterations, make this an especially attractive offering.
The leather covered pad under the silver cover has wear. The blotter is perfectly usable and the knob unscrews from the wooden block so that new blotter paper can be installed
The soft, warm, original antique finish is present, with no buffing or machine polishing.
The Vereinigte Silberwarenfabriken blotter is available for $295
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