ART NOUVEAU ARGENTOR AS SILVER-PLATED JARDINIÈRE silver plated flower pot decorated with engraved design

plated flower pot decorated with engraved design Marks: ‘Argentor AS’ height 25 cm, length 42 cm, width 20 cm end of 19th century The origin of the firm dates to 1863 when Carl Adalbert Münchmeyer and Ernst Rust founded C.A. Münchmeyer & Co. The firm was specialised in silver and gold plating metal objects through galvanic process. Factories were opened in Berlin (managed by C.A.Münchmeyer), Vienna (managed by Ernst Rust and Adolf Wilhelm Hetzel) and Paris. Argentor-Werke Rust & Hetzel, founded in 1902 and managed by Georg Ferdinand Rust and Adolf Wilhelm Hetzel, became one of the most important metalware manufacturers of Viennese Art Nouveau movement. Production included not only silver cutlery, bowls, centerpieces, tea and coffee services, but also home furnishings such as frames, clocks, electric lamps, vases and flower holders.