Henry van de Velde, business card tray 1898/1900, brass/bronze

Henry van de Velde
Business card tray. Designed in 1898. Brass/bronze. Pointed oval shape, slightly concave bowl with a gently rising rim. Swinging handle in an ornamentally curved, openwork design. 15.3 x 13.6 cm. On the vertical edge with an engraved inscription (La Libre Estethique 8 Mars 1900). Marked on the bottom with the designer's signet (recessed).
The design was first exhibited in 1899 at the Munich Secession exhibition. The bowl was also on display in Brussels at the La Libre Esthetique exhibition in 1900. A few specimens of the business card tray have survived, some with slightly different dimensions (e.g. in the Karl-Ernst-Osthaus-Museum/Henry van de Velde Gesellschaft, Hagen).
Literature: Henry van de Velde. Raumkunst und Kunsthandwerk Ein Werkverzeichnis in sechs Bänden. Thomas Föhl, Antje Neumann (Hrsg.). Band I: Metallkunst. Weimar/ Leipzig 2009, S 132, I.2.6.
Condition Report: Condition Report available on request