Eminence by Rosenthal/Continental
Directoire by Baccarat
Sir Christopher Sterling by Wallace

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White porcelain with contrasting deep blue and encrusted gold bands, Rosenthal/Continential Eminence-Cobalt Blue is at home in state houses and palaces – and will look beautiful on the table at your palace, too! Phillipp Rosenthal (1855-1937) entered business in Bavaria in 1879, purchasing white ware from Hutschenreuther and selling his designs, hand-painted by his wife, Maria, door to door. In 1891, he established a factory in Asch, Bohemia, and began production of white ware. By 1936 Rosenthal had acquired factories in Kronach, Marktredwitz, Selb, Waldenburg, Sophienthal, and Waldershof, but was forced to leave Germany shortly before the outbreak of World War II. His son, Philip, returned to Germany after the war had ended. Young Rosenthal modernized his father’s outdated factories and rebuilt the business, reaching markets interested in the new shapes and designs of the modern, postwar world.

Baccarat Directoire (Gold Trim) crystal features a clean, elegant shape with gold trim on the bowl and foot. With its round foot and multi-sided stem, Directoire (Gold Trim) is a magnificent example of European crystal making with strong Modern influence – it was produced 1931-1961! In 1764 King Louis XV of France granted the Bishop Montmorency-Laval of Metz rights to build a glassworks in the town of Baccarat. By the 1830s the company was producing crystal glassware, candelabras, and banisters for palaces and manor houses in England and across Europe – even crystal hookahs for Constantinople! By the end of the 19th century, Baccarat crystal was known throughout the world. In 1885 orders poured in from India, the United States, England, Mexico, and Brazil. Baccarat crystal has graced the tables of King Louis XVIII, King Charles X, Emperor Napoleon III, and many French presidents.

Contrasting with the simplicity of Baccarat Directoire (Gold Trim) is the ornate (and gorgeous!) sterling pattern, Sir Christopher, by Wallace Silver. With exquisite scroll, fan, and floral designs (at the center is a cluster of grapes), Sir Christopher was produced in 1936, the same year Philipp Rosenthal was forced to leave Germany. Wallace Silver, established in Connecticut nearly two centuries ago, has long been recognized for excellence in tableware craftsmanship. The founder of the company, Robert Wallace, was born in 1815 into a family of silversmiths who had emigrated to New England from Scotland. Apprenticed to William Mix, a renowned Connecticut spoon maker, Wallace purchased a dilapidated grist mill after mastering his trade, and began to produce his own silver flatware in 1833. Sir Christopher is just one of many examples of Wallace Silver’s high-quality work.

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