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Lemonade pitcher

Maker (American, 1872-1963)
Additional Title(s)
  • Planished silver coffee and tea service
  • Water pitcher
ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS
Date1936
Mediumsilver
Dimensionsoverall: 11 x 11 x 5 1/2 in., 4.1 lb. (27.9 x 27.9 x 14 cm., 1.9 kg.)
DescriptionOne of seven pieces, six of which bear the maker's stamp and his signature (all except dinner bell) on the bottom.
Signedsigned: "Clemens Friedell Maker"
Markingsstamped: "Clemens Friedell Pasadena Sterling Hand wrought"
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of Charles Briscoe in memory of Pearl Knapp Briscoe
Label TextClemens Friedell's handwrought silver provides an important link between the opulence of late 19th-century silverware-such as the Tiffany and Gorham tea services and the eclecticism of early 20th-century design. The Aztec-inspired motifs in the boldly rectilinear silver service he created in 1936 for a Pasadena patron ally this work with the increasing focus on historical patterns in early 20th century design.
Born near New Orleans, Clemens Friedell moved to Vienna with his Austrian-born parents in 1875. While in his teens, he served a traditional seven-year apprenticeship under a classically trained Viennese silversmith who helped him develop extraordinary metalworking skills. Returning to this country in 1892, he worked in the Martelé division of the Gorham Manufacturing Company from 1901 to 1907. He moved in 1910 to Los Angeles and in 1911 to Pasadena, where he became one of the area's most highly regarded craftsmen.
Status
On view
Object number89.23.4
Cream pitcher
Clemens Friedell
1936
Object number: 89.23.5
Chocolate pot
Clemens Friedell
1936
Object number: 89.23.2
Tea pot
Clemens Friedell
1936
Object number: 89.23.3
Coffee pot
Clemens Friedell
1936
Object number: 89.23.1
Sugar bowl
Clemens Friedell
1936
Object number: 89.23.6
Dinner bell
Clemens Friedell
1936
Object number: 89.23.7
Planished silver centerpiece bowl
Clemens Friedell
n.d.
Object number: 86.46.1
Photography © 2014 Fredrik Nilsen
Louis Comfort Tiffany
ca. 1900
Object number: 2004.7
Photography © 2015 Fredrik Nilsen
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
1781
Object number: 27.34