This is an elegant Art Nouveau Silvered Pewter Candle Holder. The candle holder features a standing figure of a young woman reading a letter at the back, with a broad organic style base and the candle holder at the front. This was probably intended for a lady's dressing table or desk with the broad tray acting as a trinket dish.

The candle holder was made in Germany by the famous company W.M.F and dates to the period between 1903 and 1910. W.M.F (Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik) was founded in 1880 when Straub & Sohn of Geislingen merged with Ritter & Co of Esslingen. The company was quickly successful and by 1910 was the largest employer in Wurttemberg and had offices in London, Vienna and Warsaw. They were very associated with Art Nouveau / Jugendstil style in silver plate and pewter. In the late 1920s they launched Ikora, a revolutionary type of plating that gave an enhanced finish. The company is still going strong today.

Condition is fair with the figurine, base and candle holder all in good condition. There is an old repair to some damage to the removable nozzle but this has made it fully functional and is not visible when the candle is in place. The piece is in W.M.F's antique silver finish, where the pewter was plated with silver which was then deliberately oxidised to give it the appearance of greater age. This was very popular in the Art Nouveau / Jugendstil period. Please make sure to view all the photographs.

The candle holder stands 19cm / 7.5ins high and is 16.8cm / 6.6ins across the base. It weighs 710g / 25oz.

The underside of the central foot at the back is stamped with the W.M.F ostrich mark, the letter B to show that the base metal is pewter, I/O to show that it has been silver plated and A S to show that the silvering has been treated in the Antique Silver style. This combination of marks was in use between around 1903 and 1910.