About this lot

Description

of rectangular convex form, the cover with concealed hinge engraved with an armorial and with oval cabochon garnet thumbpiece; one end with integral vesta case, the hinged cover with strike and also with concealed propelling pencil, gilded interior, stamped with the 'Halbmond und Reichskrone' (crescent and crown) and '900' indicating 900/1000 standard silver, 10 x 6cm, 4.1ozt

Footnote: Louis Kuppenheim, (1824-1889) founded his company together with Heinrich Witzemann in 1854 in Pforzheim, Germany. Three years later he continued on his own as ‘Louis Kuppenheim’ and became a renowned gold and silver boxmaker and smallworker in Germany in the early 20th century. It has been suggested that Kuppenheim made pieces for major brands, including Cartier and Boucheron and the firm focused mainly on small objets, such as smoking requisites (such as this example), stationery and vanity sets. Kuppenheim products were awarded a gold medal at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris. At its height, the company employed over 200 craftsmen in their Pforzheim factories and in addition to their Paris store, they had a thriving export business. As the Kuppenheims were of Jewish extraction, after 1933 their business declined and increasing Nazi persecution saw to the eventual closure of the business.

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