American Sterling Silver Mugs by Marie Zimmermann - a Pair

Description

A pair of heavy sterling silver mugs with spot hammered surfaces and strap handles from the Arts and Crafts period … more A pair of heavy sterling silver mugs with spot hammered surfaces and strap handles from the Arts and Crafts period by noted American metalworker, jeweler and designer, Marie Zimmermann (1879-1972). Both mugs are fully marked and from the artist's estate. A similar example, engraved to commemorate the birth of a Zimmermann family member, is illustrated on page 63, fig. 2.21 of The Jewelry and Metalwork of Marie Zimmermann, 2012.

Each in very good condition with just a little tarnish, marked M. ZIMMERMANN / MAKER / NEW YORK / STERLING / 925/1000 / MZ (artist cipher), Together, these mugs weigh a substantial 16.3 oz / 461 g and measure 3.75 in H.

Marie Zimmermann's creative and innovative designs for jewelry, funerary monuments, and ornamental accessories for home and garden were eclectic, experimental and informed by her life-long interests in the historical design and the natural world. Period journalists referred to her as "master of a dozen crafts ... perhaps the most versatile artist in this country" and "the last of the great metal craftsmen … the modern Benvenuto Cellini." Zimmermann studied at the Pratt Institute and the Art Students' League in New York before joining the National Arts Club. Her work was exhibited widely during her career and today, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City holds the largest collection of her objects, acquiring their first example in 1922. less