Silver etrog box with lid

Silver etrog box with lid

Spectacular decorative leaves and fruit

The handle of the lid is made of carved bone

Vienna, Alt Vien stamp, early 19th century

Work by the renowned Viennese artist Joseph Klinkosch.

His signature appears on the box and on the lid: JK

Width: 11 cm

Length: 23 cm

Height: 15 cm

KLINKOSCH, JOSEF CARL (AUSTRIAN, 1822-1888)

Josef Carl Klinkosch (1822-1888) was a highly skilled Viennese silversmith, who flourished in 19th Century Europe.

Klinkosch was the son of the silversmith Carl Klinkosch and apprenticed at his father’s workshop from 1835 until 1839. The young Klinkosch became a certified silversmith in 1844, taking over his father’s business in 1851. 

In 1864, Klinkosch formed a partnership with Stephan Mayerhofer and the pair began trading as Mayerhofer & Klinkosch. The company expanded quickly and within a few years employed several hundred workers. Klinkosch continued to refine the style of the wares they produced, employing designers from Austria and other countries and adopting a traditional approach to manufacturing, which prioritised fine craftsmanship. 

Mayerhofer & Klinkosch participated in the Viennese World Exhibition of 1873 and later the Parisian Exposition Universelle in 1878; at both events the firm won numerous silver and gold medals. In 1869/1870, Klinkosch ended his partnership with Mayerhofer and continued to run the company alone, renaming it 'J. C. Klinkosch'. The firm’s customers were drawn from the upper middle classes and the elite nobility of Europe. From 1855 Klinkosch held the Imperial Warrant to the Court of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria. Klinkosch was knighted in 1879, after which he became known as Joseph Carl Ritter von Klinkosch.

In 1884 Klinkosch retired and the company passed to his two sons, Arthur and Isidor. In 1918, the company was acquired by Arthur Krupp and was incorporated under the name 'J.C. Klinkosch AG'. The company was deleted from the Commercial Register in 1972.