Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-19
COSTLY SILVERWARE.

FORTUNES SPENT IN THE BEAUTt-
FsI DESIGNS MADE TO-DAY.
No Longer Necessary to Go Abroad for
Artistic Silverware-Rich and Quiet in
Figure and Work-Prices Paid for Some
of the Pretty Things.
Never before has American silverware oc-
cupied the position it does today. 1t Is un-
equaled the world over. Twenty years ago
rich Americans bought great ugly pieces
abroad, and treasured them as marvels OF
the silversmiths art. Now the American
who wishes to furnish his sideboard with the
richest decorated ware buys at home, and
silver Of American workmanship is used In
dozens OF noble, and not few royal, homes
Of Europe. Prices are sometimes enormous
Dinner sets at s. 600, g. 900, IS 900 and $40 900
are not unusual A pair Of candelabra, about
twenty inches high, may cost from $500
TO 81 900. This particular article is much IN
demand now by reason Of the increased use
Of candles for lighting dinner tables, and can
delabra at these prices have a constant sale.
The rage for enriching articles Of common
use with silver has reached probably its
greatest height. Silver toilet articles are
among those most in demand Here is .
hairbrush, the bristles set in solid silver
The whole surface is incrusted with an iutri-
cate ornamental design The price is $75.
You may buy them at $50, $40, $50, $50
Whole sets, including the brush and half a
dozen small objects, sell for $500 or $500. These
are by no means the most expensive. Rich
people who put years moderate income into
trifies such as these have sets made TO order
from special designs, at $1,000, s., $50 and
5000. 1t would be hard to name limit for
the price Of objects in silver since the art of
decorating that metal has been brought to its
present perfection.
COST OF A DINNER SET
A recent freak is for pretty little articles
in silver with humorous or affectionate mot
toes etched upon the metal There are doz-
ems, perhaps hundreds, Of such objects, and
artists are constantly at work suggesting new
designs TO be applied TO other articles. It
would be hard to name any trifiing object of
daily use that has not thus been made luxury
Here is coffee pot holding, perhaps. three
pints. 1t is repousse work The whole sur
face is hammered into forms of leaf and bios
SOM All this work is done by the patient
toll of an artist-artisan, under the guidance
Of a designer who knows just what can and
cannot be done with the malleable metals.
You would think that the blossoms in silver
had been cast and then affixed to the body OF
the vessel, but all was wrought by steady
hammering upon solid metal. 1t took the
workman probably six months to turn out
this piece. The price is 81 500. If any one
had the temerity to order whole dinner
service of such ware the price might easily
be $4,000 or S75, 0OO Here is a smaller pot
Of the same ware. Chrysanthemums, beau
tifully wrought, crowd the whole surface. II
cost enough TO purchase a poor mans home.
In these ii is the delicate handiwork that
makes the price so high There is a great
silver punch bowl containing ten times as
much silver as either pot, but the price IS only
$500. Punch bowls, by the way, are not so
popular now as they were with our ancestors,
though they are still manufactured. The
largest one have seen was marked $4,000.
When a rich New Yorker has Il mind to in
dulge in an expensive bit of table ware be
does not buy $1,000 punch bowl Perhaps
he pays twice as much for repousse tea set
bought at $4,000 each. Here is a tete-a-tete
tea set-just little teapot, a cream pitcher
and a bowl The price is 81, 800 A good
many of the kind are sold II you would
be Just right, you may buy enameled silver
spoons at 500 dozen, or fish knives at 500
dozen, or tiny silver cups for after dinner cof-
fee at $50 each. One rich New Yorker serves
terrapin to his friends in silver tureens made
-, Of fEx
the silver shell that serves as lid, and there is
the steaning delicacy Gold spoons with
round bowls accompany the tureens. Such a
service costs hardly less than 81 200 II is
used only for serving terrapin.
Designs for all these things are studied
from nature. An aquarium furnishes living
specimens of reptiles. fish and water plants,
and blooming natural flowers constantly
guide the artist in his work.
One of the oldest objects is a loving cup
decorated in the style of native Indian ert.
The body of the cup represents gourd. The
handles are shaped like the horns of a buff
falo; the feet represent the head and forelegs
of the same animal The bowl is perfectly
smooth, save for designs in relief of Indian
dances and curious streaks Of copper and en-
amel Nothing Of the kind was ever made
before
SUPERIOR TO THE RUSSIAN ARTICLE
American work in enamelsd silver presents
an interesting contrast to Russian ware Of
this sort The Russians have been doing work
Of the kind for many years, but the effect is
crude and bizarre. The whole surface glitters
with half dozen colors, and fire gliding gives
the impression of glaze. American enarn-
eled silver Is rich and quie' in design, without
glare or glitter. II far exceeds the Russian
in cost Half a dozen little coffee cups, saucers
and spoons in American eiIameled silver are
marked 800. Even the eItravagance Of
American millionaires halts at such articles
as these Nobody buys full dinner set II
such ware 1t Is best seen in small pieces
Accordingly YOU find iittls iqueur cups hold
ing three thimbefuls, at az or sis each
Sometimes native pearls are set IN the silver
Often q little teapot Of such ware Is marked
s 900. II you order such things made from
your own special designs, the price is higher.
This Is not unusual
The country is fun Of people who do not
know what TO do with their wealth, and for
them the silversrnith sets his wits working 70
invent costly TRIES. Gold service Is az vet
confined chiefly to royalty, bat giIded silver
is much used for deSserts Il "a cos,lier than