Eugen Marcus (1862-1942) German, Continental Art Nouveau .800 Silver Salver. Circa 1900. Crown hallmark indicates a silversmith to the German Royals of the time. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 9 3/4 x 5 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. 

Gross Weight: 17.135 ozt. 

#7428 . 

Eugen Marcus was born on June 23rd, 1862 in Unna, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. His parents were Jewish, from a long line of silversmiths, and he learned the craft early on. He designed tea and coffee sets, jewelry boxes, wine coolers, and table silver. He became very well known for his extremely detailed and opulent Art Nouveau pieces, setting up a shop in Berlin in the 1890s with a large window to allow passersby to watch him work. This innovation caught on and many craftsmen began to redesign their studio windows the same way. By 1900 he was awarded the honor of silversmith to the German Royal Court. In the 1910s he was considered one of the most visionary silversmiths in Germany, but during World War I his shop was damaged and much business was lost. During the Weimar period his business began to recover, but by 1930 he and many others were facing growing anti-Semitism, and the shop was eventually Aryanized in 1935. Nothing is known of his life in the late 1930s as the Nazis rampaged through Europe, and the last record of him, tragically, is the certificate of his death by homicide in the Terezin Ghetto in the Czech Republic, on October 24th, 1942, along with his entire extended family. Today, his creations are highly appreciated for their unparalleled quality, unique detailing, and a commitment to evolving the art form. A particularly opulent piece by Marcus was identified on Antiques Roadshow in 2011, and was valued at roughly $7,000 both for its silver weight and the tragic history behind it.

Good.