-Georg Adam Scheid 1910 Austria Desk Seal With Bear In .900 Sterling Silver And Marble
A desk seal in marble and sterling designed by Georg Adam Scheid.
Beautiful desk seal, created in Vienna Austria at the workshop of Georg Adam Scheid, back in the 1910-1915. Made up in the Russian taste, with carved white marble and parts crafted in solid .900/.999 sterling. Featuring on top the figure of a wild bear walking to the left and at the lower part the rounded seal, which is engraved with the monogram EH. The bear's head and the monogram are aligned as an indicator to properly stamp in the accurate position.
Weight: 52.5 Grams, (33.65 Dwt).
Measurements: 61 mm by 28 mm by 14 mm (2.40 x 1.10 x 0.55 Inches).
Hallmarks: Stamped with Austrian marks; the stamp for the city of Vienna, the maker's mark GAS associated to Georg Adam Scheid, the mark for the assay of the .900/.999 silver and the serial number 305. In addition some other unidentified enigmatic marks like a S-4, probably the silversmith.
Georg Adam Scheid
He was born in Schönau Baden, Württemberg on July 28 1837. He started his apprenticeship in 1853 and operated afterwards in Pforzheim and Stuttgart. In 1858 he came to Vienna and entered the workshop of the gold, silver goods producer and jeweler Michael Markowitsch. He married one of Markowitsch daughters and in 1862 the company was renamed Markowitsch & Scheid and adopted the mark M & S. It was located in Sandwirtgasse 8, and then in Gumpendorfer Straße 83. In 1882 they separated and Shied started his own flourishing operation, employing up to 300 workers. The silver decoration factory was named "G. A. Scheid" and used different marks. It was located in Gumpendorfer Straße 85. Markowitsch & Scheid was then owned by Adolf Markowitsch alone, a son of Michael Markowitsch, and kept the same mark, the company shut down in 1898. Specialties of Sheid's factory were cigarette cases, powder boxes, write sets, toilet sets as well as jewelry boxes, which were also sold in large quantities in Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium and Spain. To ensure the supply of raw materials in 1888 Scheid opened up his own refinery where, from precious metal wastes, raw material as well as semi-manufactured products, as sheet metals and wires were produced. The operation grew rapidly and covered not only his own requirement but goods were also exported abroad and with the establishment of sister operations in Budapest (1891), Prague (1920) and Bucharest (1923) Scheid took control of the market. In 1894 the sons Arthur (1870-1897) and Robert (1872-1950), as well as his nephew George (1850-1937), stepped in as partners. In 1911 George Adam Scheid withdrew from the business life and Robert and Georg Scheid took over. Robert and his younger brother Ludwig (1886-1960) then assumed the management. After the First World War, fall of the overseas market for the decoration sector and the bad economic situation led, as a consequence, to the liquidation of the decoration factory, while the "Affinerie" continued and in 1962 merged with the Ludwig Roessler GmbH to form the ÖGUSSA GmbH, which still exists today.
Literature: Eric Schaling, George Adam Scheid, A Remarkable Viennese Silversmith, 2018. For similar objects illustrated.
Collateral: It is accompanied by a presentation jewelry pouch.
Condition: The overall condition of this piece is very good. Beside the little normal wear, there is no damage to the silver. All parts are secured in the settings. This piece has been carefully inspected to guarantee the condition and authenticity.
INVENTORY REF: D060823MCEJ/1.514
