Tea pot

Maker Clemens Friedell (American, 1872-1963)

Additional Title(s)

Planished silver coffee and tea service

Collections

American Decorative Arts

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Date1936

Mediumsilver

Dimensionsoverall: 7 1/2 x 11 x 4 1/2 in., 2.8 lb. (19.1 x 27.9 x 11.4 cm., 1.2 kg.)

DescriptionOne of seven pieces, six of which bear the maker's stamp and his signature (all except dinner bell) on the bottom.

Markingsstamped: "Clemens Friedell, Maker"; stamped below signature: "CF Sterling Pasadena"

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of Charles Briscoe in memory of Pearl Knapp Briscoe

Status

On view

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.

Object number89.23.3