12-piece silver cutlery set Art Nouveau - Vienna 1903 – 1924

12-piece silver cutlery set in original case; consisting of: 6 forks and 6 knives; 800 silver; Art Nouveau - Vienna 1903 – 1924; made in the Austrian workshops of "Zemen Josef" & "Johann Babirad"; the cutlery is richly adorned with clover leaves and classic floral Art Nouveau ornamentation; the extravagant design and excellent craftsmanship give the cutlery an incredible charm; forks and knives are stamped multiple times: Austrian Diana hallmark, 5-petal flower bordered with a "3" and an "A" (1.4.1872 – 1.5.1922), also the "DEP" mark indicating Depose (design protection), and the master stamp "B&Z," representing the silversmiths "Johann Babirad" and "Josef Zemen"; the former also worked with designs by "Josef Hoffmann"; Josef Zemen & Johann Babirad were business partners in Vienna; knife handles and forks made of silver; handles, tangs, and blades have shifted slightly forward in places, but all knives are stable and firmly anchored together; age-appropriate signs of wear; dimensions: forks 17.5 cm / 220 g – knives 21.5 cm / 304 g; total weight: 524 g.
Source: Dorotheum / Auction of 04.12.2017 – cutlery set designed by Hoffmann for the Kohn family; literature: digital photo comparison of the "B&Z" hallmark in the Museum of Applied Arts and in the archive of metal works from the Wiener Werkstätte: inventory number PZ 235 (manufacturer Johann Babirad).