Emmy Roth

Dr. Carl-Wolfgang Schümann, former director of the Deutsches Textil Museum, Krefeld, Germany

M.R. J. Brinkgreve et al, Europäisches Kunstgewerbe 1927, Leipzig, 1928, p. 86
"Geräte und Schmuck aus der Werkstatt von Emmy Roth," Die Weltkunst, 1931, vol. 47, p. 7
Alastair Duncan, Modernism: Modernist Design 1880-1940, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1998, p. 169 (for a variant example of this model in the collection of The Minneapolis Institute of Arts)
Silver of a New Era, exh. cat., Museum Boymans van-Beuningen, Rotterdam, 1992, p. 171 (for the same model as part of a larger tea service in the Collection of the Württembergische Landesmuseum, Stuttgart inv. no. 1987-23a-d)
Ingeborg Becker, Bröhan Museum 30 Jahre: Landesmuseum für Jugendstil, Art Deco und Funktionalismus (1889-1939), Bonn, 2002, p. 190

 

Very good overall condition. Light surface scratches to the silver as expected from normal use and occasional polishing. There are a few scattered edge nicks to the top and bottom as seen in the catalogue illustration. The ivory has fine cracks and some discoloration from age and use as expected with this material. There is some tea patination to the interior of the vessel from use.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"Certainly, it is incredibly tempting to summon up bold forms, especially out of metal.  But we should bow down humbly to the functional..." Emmy Roth-1925

Emerging from the apprentice and werkbund traditions, Emmy Roth has often unjustly been slighted by Bauhaus purists.  It must be understood that she was a well respected modernist silversmith on an international level.  Another example of the present model was exhibited at the Europäisches Kunstgewerbe, Leipzig, 1927 in the company of Marianne Brandt's iconic model MT-49 tea infuser as well as other masterworks by Christian Dell, Marguerite Friedländer, and Wilhelm Wagenfeld among other international notables.  This iconic model was acquired directly after the fair by the Leipzig Grassi Museum in 1927. Considered to be her most famous design it is heralded as a harmonious merging of taut functionalist modernism and organic design.