ART NOUVEAU / JUGENDSTIL
WMF (Württembergische Metallwaren Fabrik)
COPPER INKWELL / INK STAND
GERMANY, ca. 1890 – 1900
MARKED WITH THE EARLY WMF STRAUSS MARK.
The German factory W.M.F. produced some of the most elegant and evocative metalware in the ART NOUVEAU style from the beginning of the 20th century until the start of World War I.
The Wurttemberg Electroplate Company was founded in 1853 by Daniel Staub in Geislingen.
It was renamed the Wurttembergische Metallwaren Fabrik – known as WMF- in 1880 following an amalgamation of several firms.
The company began with only 16 workers, but by 1914 the enterprise had grown to some 6,000 employees, with factories in Germany, Poland, and Austria, and showrooms in London, Paris, Hamburg and Berlin.
The sphinx Sign of wisdom and protection. With a human head, body of a beast, the sphinx had access to all wisdom and strength. Symbolised the riddle of human existence.
Symbol of Ra – The Winged Disc
The Divine Logo combined with wings becomes the Symbol of Ra and is used to represent the creative elements of nature. The Divine Logo represents the mathematics of creation while the wings represent the coming forth out of creation.
The Symbol of Ra is a representation of Creation and Nature. That is what the teachings of the Summum Principles are about, and that is the meaning behind Summum’s use of this symbol. Its also indicates membership in an organization of people dedicated to attaining personal ascension and represents membership in the organization of Summum.
The ancient Egyptians believed that a winged disc or gemstone would protect the wearer from evil. With the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922, this and many other Egyptian-inspired motifs influenced design in the mid 1920s
WMF (Würtemburgische Machin Fabrik), formed in 1850 from Straub & Sohn and A Ritter & Co. and famous for art metalware. A variety of marks have been used during their 150 years of production. The well known ‘ostrich’ mark originates from the German word for ostrich, ‘Der Strauss’ after Daniel Straub, one of the founders. The ‘G’ in the mark stands for the town of Geislingen, near Ulm in Baden-Würtemburg. This beehive mark was introduced in 1909. A version of the beehive with clear top was introduced in 1910 for the French market.
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