Coffee set (sugar bowl)

Hjalmar Fagerroos, Helsinki, 1910. Height of pot 21 cm.

Until the guild system was abolished in the 1860s, goldsmiths mostly designed themselves the objects they made. Their designer skills depended on the influences they had received and adopted and the skill to adapt them. At the end of the 19th century, industrial production also increased in a silversmithing, which resulted in the decrease of the objects’ artistic quality. Of course, there are exceptions.

The objects of this coffee set made in Hj. Fagerroos’ workshop do not echo the expression of form of historicism; instead, their design is subtle and classicistic with their vertical divisions that resemble pillars. The outer surface of the body, straight at the sides and oval in diameter, is divided into vertical, straight sectors, which are separated by low, embossed ridges. There are decorative bone rings at the root of the knob and in the handle. The inner surface of the objects is gilded.