A pair of Friedrich Spahr silver overlay porcelain salts

Price: £395

One of the great things about being an antiques dealer is that you get to look at loads of “stuff” and can buy what takes your eye, without regard as to whether it will please your spouse or match your home decor.

This is certainly how I ended up buying, in total ignorance,  a pair of c 1950 German porcelain salts with silver overlay.  Fortune favours the brave as they say, and it turns out these are quite good things, and I think absolutely wonderful design and colour, with a real harmony between the silver and the porcelain.  The conical salts (maybe egg cups?) comprise three vertical bands of colour, each separated by black, repeated twice and divided by silver overlay.   The genius, and very 50’s, is to get blue pink and yellow to work in combination.

These salts were made (with respect to the silver overlay) by the firm of Friedrich Wilhem Spahr.  Sphar (1900-1945) was a German designer who’s workshop / factory was the leading proponent of silver overlay from c 1920 until as recently as the 1970’s (I believe).  See this wiki link to read more about him, the company and silver overlay in general.

These salts date to c 1950 and one is marked (slightly rubbed) SPAHR. Both are also marked “1000”, I think denoting the use of pure silver.   The porcelain comes from the respectable German factory Hutschenreuther that operated in Bavaria from  its foundation in 1814 until 1969.  Spahr is recorded as collaborating with  the firm of Hutschenreuther on pieces such as these.

The salts are in excellent original condition.  No cracks or repairs to the porcelain. No loss of silver overlay.

Maker:  Friedrich Wilhem Spahr (the company) / Hutschenreuther

Designer:  Unknown

Date: c. 1950

Marks:  SPAHR,  1000, porcelain marks as illustrated

Material: Sterling silver (or purer), porcelain

Condition: Excellent

Size: 5.75 cm wide at base,  3.75 cm high

Weight: NM