Theodor Fahrner jewellery

The Theodor Fahrner jewellery company is best known for its typical Art Nouveau designs of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Theodor Fahrner was born in Pforzheim between 1859 and 1868. He trained as a steel engraver and went to Pforzheim Commercial Arts Society to train in the arts. When he took over his father’s ring factory upon his death in 1883, he began to combine these skills to produce pieces of jewellery in the Jugenstihl tradition, employing materials such as enamel, marcasite and semi-precious stones. Many of his designs were based on organic shapes and animals, a typical theme of the time.

Towards the end of the 19^th century, Fahrner had begun to collaborate with other artists and in 1900 exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition where he was awarded a silver medal for his work, created alongside Max J Gradl.  The resulting publicity marked an upturn in the fortunes of the company.

As the century began, he established the company’s TF trademark and the company began exporting into Britain. They also began to collaborate with other proponents of the Jugenstihl (or Art Nouveau) movement, including Murrle Bennett and Georg Kleeman.

When Theodor Fahrner died in 1919 the company was bought by Gustav Braendle and became known as ‘Gustav Braendle – Theodor Fahrner Nachfolger’. In the 1920’s the Art Deco style was at its height and the pieces produced by the company in this style are highly collectable.

Lot 99 in the Vintage Jewellery & Acessories sale on January 30^th is a piece borne out of a collaboration with Wiener Werkstätte, translating as ‘Vienna’s Workshops’, a community of visual artists based in Vienna and working across many disciplines including architecture, textiles and silver. It takes the form of a bird sitting amongst stylised branches, which is set with marcasite accents and has an estimate of £90-140.

We also have three more Theodor Fahrner lots in the sale, 98, 482 and 483, which demonstrate the variety of styles executed by this fascinating company, which finally closed its doors in 1979.