This German metalware factory was founded in 1894 as the Rheinische Broncegieserei für Kleinplastiken in Cologne Ehrenfeld. The trademark was registered in 1898.
They started making luxury items in Art Nouveau design made of Orivit metal from 1896, such as tableware, vases, candlesticks, etc. This was a metal composed of 89.85% tin, 7.9% antimony, 1.9% copper and 0.12% silver. This metal shines more than tin and rusts much less.
In 1900 the name was changed to Orivit A.G. and in 1901 Orivit built a new factory in Cologne Braunfels.
At the Paris World Exhibition in 1900, the factory won the gold medal for their product. In the following years they won even more prizes.
In our collection we have an Orivit A.G. cup with the portrait of Queen Wilhelmina.
The portrait is from 1898 and was used on many items for her inauguration. A beautiful design in Art Nouveau style, the cup is marked Orivit A.G. Coln, which would mean that it was made after 1900, perhaps in 1901 for her marriage to Prince Hendrik. This cup is very rare, it is the only one we have come across in more than 35 years of collecting.
The same design has previously been used for an aluminum cup made in 1898 for the inauguration of Wilhelmina. This cup was made by the German weapons and ammunition factory Karlsruhe. The date of the inauguration is stated on this cup. The Orivit cup has no date.
The Orivit factory was shut down during the First World War and restarted in 1918, in 1926, production stopped for good.
The Orivit products are now highly sought after collector’s items.
Designers were: Carl Sigmund LuberHermann Gradl (1883-1964), Georg Grasegger, Walter Scherf (1875- 1909), Victor Heinrich Seifert, Johann Cristian Kroner (1838-1911).
Info: Wikipedia, Steinmarks UK
The Orivit A.G. cup & the Aluminium cup
