GEORGE ADAM SCHEID 1900 Art Nouveau Joseph Maria Auchentaller Enameled Box
Joseph Maria Auchentaller enameled box for George Adam Scheid (1837-1921).
An extremely rare box created in Vienna, Austria, at the silversmith atelier of Georg Adam Scheid, circa 1900. This exceptional Art Nouveau piece is particularly significant as the female motif adorning the lid, was made by the master designer Josef Maria Auchentaller, a prominent figure associated with the Vienna Secession. The collaboration between Scheid’s workshop and Auchentaller elevates the artistic importance of the object. The case is masterfully handcrafted in a cushioned form in solid silver .900/.999 fineness), finished with a high polish and featuring a richly gilded 24-karat interior. The lid is embellished with a finely executed image of a woman with flowing hair, rendered in polychrome hard-glass enamels, exemplifying the sinuous lines and decorative elegance characteristic of the Art Nouveau movement. The box is fitted with a seven-barrel hinge and a double-thumb snap closure, reflecting both technical precision and functional sophistication. A rare and highly collectible example of Viennese Art Nouveau silver, combining exceptional craftsmanship, artistic collaboration, and refined decorative artistry.
Joseph Maria Auchentaller
Josef Maria Auchentaller was an Austrian painter, draftsman, and printmaker associated with the Vienna Secession and the Art Nouveau style. He attended the Technical College in Vienna from 1882 to 1886. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna starting in 1890, and there he excelled and won several awards. In 1885, he fell in love with Emma Scheid, the daughter of a prosperous manufacturer of silverware and jewelry. The couple married in 1891 after her father was convinced of Auchentaller social and financial suitability. They had a daughter, Maria Josepha, and a son, Peter. Beginning in 1895, he contributed Art Nouveau designs for his father-in-law's company, G.A. Scheid. From 1892 to 1896, the Auchentaller lived in Munich, where he studied under Paul Hoecker, a founder of the 1892 Munich Secession. Auchentaller contributed to Jugend, the German Secession review established in 1896. In 1897, the Vienna Secession was formed by artists who had left the Association of Austrian Artists. The Auchentaller returned from a vacation in Italy to take part. Between 1898 and 1904, Auchentaller showed his work in 10 Secessionist shows. Auchentaller designed the poster and the catalog covers for the Seventh (1900) and Fourteenth (1902) exhibitions. He also played a role in the Secession's organizing committee from the Fifth to the Tenth Exhibition (1899–1901). In 1905, he left the Secession along with Gustav Klimt due to differences of artistic opinion.
Country: Vienna, Austria.
Period: Art-Nouveau, 1900.
Designer: Joseph Maria Auchentaller.
Manufacturer: George Adam Scheid.
Materials: .900 Silver, color enamels and gold.
Weight: 128.5 Grams, (82.40 Dwt).
Measurements: 89.2 mm by 64 mm by 17 mm (3.51 x 2.52 x 0.67 Inches).
Hallmarks: Both parts are stamped with Austrian marks; two times with the maker's mark associated to George Adam Scheid, two times with the mark for the assay and warranty of the .900/.999 silver, with Diana’s head silver purity mark and signed as follows, "GAS .900".
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. Sheid" 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. Specialities 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: Schaling, Eric, Georg Adam Scheid 1838 -1921 a remarkable Viennese Silversmith. Published by NL-, Private edition-, 2018. For similar pieces illustrated.
Collateral: This George Adam Scheid box by Joseph Maria Auchentaller is accompanied by a presentation jewelry pouch.
Condition: The overall condition of this George Adam Scheid box by Joseph Maria Auchentaller is excellent. Beside the little normal wear there is no damage to the silver. The enamel parts are light restored and don’t detract. This box was carefully inspected to guarantee the condition & authenticity.
INVENTORY REF: D041826MOEN/4.576
