“SILVER OVERLAY” means an electrolyte coating of silver on a non-conductive surface, such as porcelain or glass. Most of the techniques used in this process involve the use of a special flux containing silver and turpentine oil, which is painted onto the object to be decorated. When the drawing is complete, the object is cooked over relatively low heat: once it has cooled, it is cleaned and placed in a solution of silver. A low-voltage current is then passed through the solution so that the silver binds to the traced pattern, creating a permanent fusion of the silver with the glass or porcelain.
SHORT HISTORY OF A PRODUCTION
It is not known who devised the process: numerous patents were filed from 1870 onwards, even if the procedure could have been discovered much earlier.
The first few and best known patents are American, but it is Friedrich Deusch who most associated his name with the silver overlay. This German inventor patented the process in 1895 and showed his work in 1907 in the Exhibition in Bordeaux.
Deusch returned to Schwäbisch Gmünd in southern Germany where, in 1912, he founded his own company Deusch & Co., while continuing to create and exhibit his products and then winning the gold medal at the 1913 Universal Exhibition in Ghent, Belgium.
Thanks to him, the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd (that counted at the time around 20,000 inhabitants), which already had a long tradition since the 16th century in the art of gold and silver processing, became the centre of German production of silver coatings. A school of applied arts existed there from the beginning, which became a school for the precious metals industry in 1907.
In the 1920s, nearly 190 companies were involved in the precious metals industry: the presence of materials, craftsmen and component suppliers created an ideal environment for the growth of the sector.
After the Deusch and Company, other companies specialized in this technique were founded, such as that of Friedrich Wilhelm Spahr and that of Alfred and Manfred Veyhl.
Parallel to the development of German production, a similar one was started in the United States, as shown below.
THE SILVER OVERLAY PRODUCED IN GERMANY
The specific feature of the German silver overlay is the degree of purity: 925 for sterling silver or 999 for fine silver. The quality of the silver used can be identified by the 1000 mark, usually stamped on the base or side of an object. The purity and thickness of the silver overlay ensures that the beauty of the object is kept intact even after many years of cleaning, while other types of silver, such as nickel silver, do not have such a vibrant effect and tend to deteriorate over time.
Friedrich Deusch invented a way to combine silver and a non-conductive surface, such as porcelain or glass with zinc plating, using a special conductive fluid (a type of flux) that was permanently attached to the prepared form. Objects to be decorated were first
made rough by etching or by using hydrofluoric acid to engrave a design. This implied that a very precise coverage of the surfaces had to be achieved, to avoid damage to areas that were not to receive the silver. Perhaps a masking paint was used, one that could withstand the subsequent baking in the oven that was needed to fuse the fluid with the surface of the object. The next step was precisely to galvanize the object with the purest silver (1000). When coloured glazes were to be used on the finished product, they had to be fired before the final step of the silver coating process. Silver engraving was the last, and sometimes the most laborious, work.
It was very important to monitor the processing steps of silver-coated objects: too long a wait produced visible dark spots and a slight roughness where the cathode or anode had been fixed.
The cathode and anode were used to electically charge the object and this allowed thesilver to melt in the painted area with the silver flow. The desired thickness of the decoration on the finished object determined how long the object had to be left in the silver bath, which could last for more than 30 hours. Also, in case the masking paint did not burn completely in the oven, it had to be removed at a later time, probably with chemical fluids.
Early objects typically have a thicker silver layer. You can also see the brush stroke which demonstrates that the coating and painted surface were made by hand. Printed designs have been used most often on later produced items, that can be recognized by studying the design: if the colour is flat and full of small dots, this strongly indicates a printed design. Also, the silver work on the printed colour designs does not seem to cover the border of the design as closely as it should.
THE MAIN PRODUCERS’ STYLE
The first objects designed and produced by Friedrich Deusch are very classic, followed by an abstract phase of Art Déco in its purest form.
Since the 1950s, we find a more concrete style, especially with flowers and leaves. Alfred Veyhl’s company had a different style: it was mainly the combination of polychrome-painted details of birds, flowers and similar motifs, framed in silver. More abstract designs are rare. Alfred, and later his son Manfred Veyhl, were the only ones who used a varnish to avoid the oxidation of the silver. Alfred used softer, rounder lines in his designs, while Manfred had a more edgy and expressive style. A specialty of this company was that customers could choose from a certain range of porcelain shapes and decors.
Another prominent figure is Friedrich Wilhelm Spahr. There is evidence that he learned his skill from Friedrich Deusch (some items from both companies have very similar formal designs). He was not only a craftsman, but also an artist and pioneer in the development of repeated round shapes in a perfect and harmonious proportion. Very often the decorations are a pure arrangement of lines (curved or straight), or a
combination of both, with flowers or birds in a style that is never exaggerated, but sufficient to divide the small surface (for example, a vase) in an evident and harmonious way.
Like the others, he not only designed and applied the silver cover, but also prepared the porcelain with his enamel colours, painted the patterns and engraved the silver. The Spahr factory employed about forty skilled workers, also producing exceptional engraved
pieces.
The three companies purchased and used rough porcelain artifacts from several well- known manufacturers such as Rosenthal, Hutschenreuther, Thomas Bavaria, Krautheim and Adelberg and marketed the finished products under their own names.
THE “SILVER OVERLAY” PERFUME FLASKS
Among the many objects produced in Germany between the two wars with this technique are the small flask-shaped perfume bottles (from 4.5 to 7 cm) with the characteristic crown cap.
Starting with a white porcelain bottle the artists / craftsmen have produced an infinite range of colors and designs.
They are essentially divided into two categories: those with a decorative design and the city souvenirs ones, not only German, a clear sign of a product also made for export.
The decorative flasks have different shapes and colors and various and captivating silver designs: flowers, birds, lines, geometric and abstract, sinuous and intricate shapes and also the shapes and sizes are more varied. The decorative styles refer to well-known stylistic elements, attributable to Neo-Baroque, Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
The souvenir flasks are more homogeneous in shape and limited in color and bear the stylized outline of the city’s main monument and, on the reverse, its name, usually in silver.