Rare Art Deco Modernist silver plate and phenolic Preference Chest by Albert Feinauer for Barbour (gm3560)

Rare Art Deco Modernist silver plate and phenolic Preference Chest by Albert Feinauer for Barbour, USA 1930. This is an exceptionally rare box with exceptional provenance. The lid is inscribed - Presented to the Right Honorable Thomas Newell Mayor of Lincoln England with the compliments of William H Bunze Mayor of Minneapolis Minnesota USA.

Marks: stamped marks

Dimensions: 10 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches (25 x 9 x 9 cm)

Condition: excellent, light pitting to the lid

Feinauer was a German emigre who had previously worked with Henry van de Velde and was a member of the Deutsche Werkbund before moving to the USA. The following is borrowed from the entry for a tea set designed by Feinauer for Barbour which is held by the Art Institute Chicago: This .... exemplifies German émigré Albert Feinauer’s unique blend of modernist forms in his designs for the American market. The cylindrical and spherical shapes of the three vessels are indebted to German Bauhaus principles of clean lines and geometric simplicity, while the stepped pattern of right-angle lines, circles, and arcs suggest the fragmented and discontinuous lines of Cubism. Feinauer’s designs for the International Silver Company unfortunately coincided with the devastating stock market crash of 1929, which halted the company’s production of these modern wares.