WMF / Geislingen - Bottle - Silverplated - Britannia

Antique WMF Art Nouveau Wine Carafe / Ewer (c. 1900)
Technical details:
Product type: antique wine carafe / wine ewer (Claret Jug / Ewer)
Manufacturer: WMF (Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik), Geislingen, Germany
Material: Green, molded glass (with fine structure/fluting) & silver-plated metal mounting on Britannia metal base
Era / Style: Art Nouveau – around 1900
Total weight: 1462.1 grams
Height: approx. 31.5 cm (measured to the tip of the lid finial)

Design and craftsmanship:
This splendid Art Nouveau carafe is an outstanding collectible from the heyday of Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF).
The glass body: Made from elegant, light-green glass in a distinctive segmented melon- or pumpkin-form with a finely textured surface feel.
The metal mounting: The intricately cast, silver-plated mounting surrounds the bottle neck and base. It features a plastically worked, naturalistic Art Nouveau decor of lush grapevines, leaves, and ripe grapes.
Handle & lid: The gracefully curved handle perfectly echoes the organic branch-and-leaf design. The hinged lid opens smoothly and closes flush; it is crowned by a plastically formed cluster of grapes as a knob.

Punch marks analysis (stamp on the underside of the handle):
The carafe bears the original WMF hallmarks from the period 1886 to 1903:
WMFB: Stands for Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik – Britannia metal base (a high-quality tin-containing alloy used as a stable carrier for the silvering).
1/0: Indication of regular, solid silvering thickness (1 gram of silver per square decimeter of surface).
as: Stands for Antique Silver Finish – a factory-applied artificial partial darkening (oxidation) of the depressions to give the relief more depth and a noble aged effect.

Condition:
The carafe is overall in very nice, age-appropriate original condition. The thick glass is completely intact – free from cracks, chips. The metal housing sits firmly and stably on the glass body. On the underside of the spout, the metal shows age-typical irregular coloration: in places it is darker or has patinated blackening, while adjacent areas appear somewhat lighter. The lid hinge works flawlessly. A highly representative and authentic showpiece for the historic table.