Large German silver-plated hanging lantern by WMF

Large German silver-plated hanging lantern by WMF
German, c.1920
Height 90cm, diameter 24cm
 
Consisting of a round pointed gadrooned finial suspended by curb chains and surmounted by an open lighting fixture, this exceptional piece is a large, German, silver-plated lantern made by the German firm WMF in the first quarter of the twentieth century. With a pair of winged Classical busts on either side of the central element, the exterior is decorated with spiralling inverted fluting, and cleanly delineated concentric bands and friezes of metalwork. It is stamped 'WMF.'
 
The piece was made with WMFs usual technique of galvanized silver plating, whereby the piece was lowered into a bath of silver and plated with the use of an electric current. The technological mastery of these German metalworkers allowed their elegant designs, which drew on a host of styles - here a combination of Rococo and Renaissance, to really come to the fore, resulting in refined, elegant, and exceptionally cleanly cast pieces, as demonstrated here.