Antique Art Nouveau WMF Jugenstil German Silver Plated Demitasse Coffee Set - distinctive and beautiful, petite and elegant small Coffee/Tea Pot with Rattan Handle and angular spout and matching set of 3 Cups and Saucers - all have a beaded trim, the handles of these squat shaped cups also have the beading and plump round base plinths, the saucers have wide raised rims - the design is extremely stylish - the underside of the pot is marked WMF and 97 and the inside of one of the saucers is also marked wmf - we believe these date to the late 19th or early 20th century and do have a Jugenstil style to them - WMF has been and still is a top German manufacturer - the quality of their plate wear and the unique process by which it is made is reknowned across the world -(for more about the maker see below) - there is some tarnish and plate loss, but al the pieces are intact - a really lovely collectible set - please check photographs which form part of the description and do help -just lovely - don't miss it!
WMF - WURTTEMBERGISCHE METALLWARENFABRIK: In 1853, Daniel Straub, a miller from Geislingen, joined forces with the Schweizer Brothers to form the
"Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer" in Geislingen. This was the second company to be
founded by Straub - previously in 1850, from the nucleus of a small repair workshop, which he had set up
to work on the construction of Geislingen's famous railway incline, he had founded the Maschinenfabrik
Geislingen. This company was involved mainly in manufacturing mill turbines and traded throughout Europe. As early as 1862, the young company distinguished itself by winning a gold medal at the World Exhibition in
London. In 1866, following the departure of the brothers Louis and Friedrich Schweizer, the company was
renamed Straub & Sohn" (Straub & Son). The company showroom, built in 1868 in Berlin, gradually
evolved to become the company's first retail outlet. Three years later, the company was already employing
60 workers. By 1880, the number of employees had grown to approximately 200 and the company was already
producing 960 different items. 1880 saw the merger between Straub & Sohn and "Ritter & Co.", Esslingen, to form a public
limited company under the name of Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik. At the time of the merger, Ritter &
Co.'s Esslingen factory was already using the electroplating method of silver plating and had the more
modern production facilities at its disposal. Straub's company, on the other hand, was the more profitable
of the two. 1892 saw the development of a special technique for silver plating cutlery, whereby the silver is
distributed in a way that, at the points of the cutlery most exposed to wear and tear, the coating is twice
as thick as elsewhere. This process was patented and is still in use today. Known nowadays as 'Perfect
Hard Silver plating' the technique remains exclusive to WMF. Under Carl Hugele the company gained international standing. At the turn of the century the factory in
Geislingen employed 3,000 workers. By 1910, this number had already grown to 4,000, making WMF the largest
company in Wurttemberg at this time. Sales catalogues were printed in twelve languages. Subsidiary
companies in London, Warsaw and Vienna opened up export markets. Under the direction of Albert Mayer the WMF studio was influenced by the art nouveau style. The product
range was modernized and considerably extended. In 1905 WMF acquired a majority holding of the Cologne
company Orivit AG, which manufactured products from "Orivit", a tin alloy. As of 1925, products created by the Contemporary Decorative Products Department (NKA) made their debut on
the market. This department was set up under the direction of Hugo Debach in order to establish the name
of WMF amongst consumers interested in art and design. After the World War II the company had to rebuild itself. By 1950, WMF staff numbers had again swelled to 3,000. Silverplated tableware and cutlery accounted for
two thirds of WMF's turnover, with shops specialising in clocks and watches, gold and silverware
representing the company's main customers.By 1960, the Geislingen factory alone employed around 5,800 workers. A shortage of space and manpower at
this site led to the setting up of additional branch factories, like the factory in Hayingen and Riedlingen. The company has thrived and is still considered to be one of the leaders in its field to this day.