Alfred Pollak (silversmith)

Alfred Pollak (born March 19, 1852 in Prašno-Oujezd, Hořovice district ; † April 12, 1909 in Prague ) was a Czech silversmith and imperial purveyor to the court with processing companies throughout Austria-Hungary . The headquarters of his silver factory was in Prague.

history

Wine carafe by C. Ehrentraut and teapot by Franz Barwig made by Alfred Pollak (1902)

Maker's mark AP; Vienna before 1922

Alfred Pollak founded a silver manufactory of the same name in Bohemia in 1878 and, thanks to his hard work and expert knowledge, was able to quickly turn the initially small company into an important one.

In 1892 a branch was added in Budapest and in 1896 a branch was founded in Vienna .

His company has also honored the reputation of the Austrian silver goods industry abroad, because thanks to the varied nature and artistic execution of its products it has secured export to all countries on the continent. At all major exhibitions in which she did not take part "hors concours", her products were awarded the highest prices, and Emperor Franz Joseph in particular had the opportunity to express his full appreciation for the efficiency of this establishment. Customers not only included the upper class and the nobility, but also the imperial court. Due to the high quality of the products and the merits, Alfred Pollak was appointed kuk court supplier, his company was allowed to call itself "kuk Hof-Silberwarenfabrik".

In the context of the domestic arts and crafts, the Alfred Pollak company was one of the very first. At the turn of the century, artistically high-quality products were also created under the direction of well-known designers (e.g. Hans Bolek , Franz Barwig and Rudolf Hammel , Ernst Lichtblau and Nechansky). The utensils and luxury objects of various genres designed and artistically executed by the artists in their studio were mainly found on silver cutlery, girandoles (candlesticks), coffee and tea sets and carafes with silver mountings, as well as silver honorary gifts such as statues and jewelry.

Alfred Pollak died after a short illness at the age of 57 in Prague and was buried in the new Jewish cemetery in Prague-Straschnitz . He left his wife Bertha Pollak, née Fürth (* December 20, 1852 in Sušice; † October 7, 1942 in the Theresienstadt concentration camp ) and his daughter Maria Mizzi Pollak (* 1883; † 1942), married to Dr. Viktor Kolischer, co-owner of a silversmith's company.

The company was sold and continued by the new owners Arthur and Waldemar Busch. In its prime, the factory had 50 employees. The First World War and the collapse of the monarchy in 1918 tore the traditional sales market apart, as new state borders were drawn and this made the company's work more difficult. The company was deleted from the commercial register in 1922.

Some examples of the craftsmanship of this company can be found in well-known museums, such as the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna or the Military History Museum in Prague. The products of the Pollak silverware factory achieve high prices at auctions and are coveted as collector's items.

Web links

• Alfred Pollak, Manufactory, Vienna in the MAK collection

Individual evidence

1. ↑ K. and K. Hof-Silberwarenfabrik Alfred Pollak. In: Anniversary number of the imperial Wiener Zeitung 1703–1903. Supplement commercial part. Alfred von Lindheim. Druck und Verlag KK Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna, August 8, 1903, p. 92 , accessed on August 14, 2009 . 

literature

• Dana STEHLÍKOVÁ: Encyclopedia českého zlatnictví, stříbrnictví a klenotnictví (Encyclopedia of Czech Goldsmiths, Silversmiths and Jewelry ). Libri Praha 2003, page 284.