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Unger Brothers Douvain (1904)

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Author	Topic: Unger Brothers Douvain (1904)
Bob Schulhof Posts: 194 Registered: Apr 99	posted 06-15-1999 12:45 AM UNGER BROTHERS DOUVAIN 1904 Special Features Unger Brothers was the proponent of the art nouveau. Indeed every piece they made is a collectors item today. While I have been partial to the beautiful wispy ladies of their "He Loves Me" , "Envangeline", "The Wave" and "Dawn" patterns that did find their way to tableware, these patterns were never made into a full dinner setting of flatware. In fact there are only 5 different Unger patterns available in complete place settings. Douvain is certainly the most "Nouveau" and seems to consist of ghouls and goblins. I would love to know the inspiration behind the pattern. It is certainly one of the most "collectible" patterns of the period. Dating Unger made art nouveau flatware from 1900 to 1910, and Douvain appeared in 1904. That makes only about 6 years worth of production available. This is not Chantilly. The company went into airplane parts during WWI and the dies were never sold, as nouveau became old hat. Pieces Available According to the 1904 Unger Catalogue just about anything one can imagine is available. Shown Below are: Item .......................Length........Our Cost 5 O'Clock Spoon.........5"..............$40.00 Flat Butter Spreader.....5 7/8"..........$75.00 (had to have it!) Teaspoon..................5 7/8".........$30.00 Oval Soup .................7"............. $65.00 Dinner Knife...............9 1/2".........$125.00 (whatever it takes) Dinner Fork................7 3/8"........$59.00 (stole that) Luncheon Fork............6 3/4"..........$90.00 (averaged out) Salad Fork..................6 1/8"........$135.00 (no comment) As can bee seen from the above pricing sometimes you can find someone who doesn't know what they have, but when you see what you need buy it! Photo of place setting: Key Pieces The usual. Dinner Knife, salad fork, flat butter. Comments Mysteries about this pattern are where to find it, and I would love to know how it was dreamed up. . Certainly no place setting collection is complete without Unger Douvain. ------------------ IP: Logged
Ulysses Dietz Moderator Posts: 1265 Registered: May 99	posted 06-18-1999 10:14 PM Presumably Douvain has the same French origin for its name as many of Unger's other patterns--but even as a French major I cannot find a French word form which this might be derived. As a note of interest, The Newark Museum owns Grace Unger's wedding service in the Douvain pattern from 1908, in its original fitted oak chest. The place setting is odd--a few more pieces than you show here, and a bunch of interesting serving pieces. Grace was the daughter of Eugene Unger, and married another Unger executive, G. LaRue Masters. The Museum is still in touch with the Unger descendants. IP: Logged
Ulysses Dietz Moderator Posts: 1265 Registered: May 99	posted 06-18-1999 10:18 PM In Grace Unger's service we also have another small spoon (a five o'clock and a six o'clock coffee?), another larger spoon, oyster forks, and luncheon (or game course) knives. Do these all show up in the 1904 catalogue? IP: Logged
Bob Schulhof Posts: 194 Registered: Apr 99	posted 06-22-1999 02:31 AM The Unger Catalogue lists the following: 1. Place (not serving) Spoons- Tea, 5'Oclock Tea, and coffee. I think mine is the 5 o'clock. There was also the 7" dessert spoon 2. Oyster forks 3. Table knives and dessert knives. ------------------ IP: Logged
edensterling Posts: 40 Registered: Apr 99	posted 09-02-1999 06:34 PM This is a list of all pieces in Douvaine which are illustrated in the 1904 catalogue. table knife dessert knife table fork dessert fork tea spoon five o'clock tea spoon coffee spoon salt spoon table spoon soup spoon dessert spoon carving set, 3 pieces sardine fork salad fork cold meat fork olive spoon olive fork oyster fork food pusher sugar tongs butter spreader orange spoon cheese scoop mustard spoon butter pick butter knife bouillon spoon sugar sifter cream ladle gravy ladle cream ladle #2 oyster cocktail fork sardine fork #2 berry spoon bon bon spoon bon bon spoon #2 preserve spoon berry spoon #2 salad spoon sugar spoon sugar spoon #2 salad fork fish knife ice spoon fish fork oyster ladle cucumber server pie knife items with a #2 mean that that Unger illustrated 2 different types of that item. IP: Logged
ampicob unregistered	posted 02-16-2004 05:30 PM Douvaine is a small Resort City in France at the Swiss Border. They actively advertise it as a place to visit. I've asked my friend Michelle, who has a PhD in Ancient French, if there is a chateau with the Dolphin as a water spout, often seen in that configuration, and the face of the North Wind, both figures are plainly a part of the beautiful Douvaine pattern. Perhaps if there is a building with these "faces", the origins/inspirations of the pattern's deigns might be finally explained. Also, it's good to know that Douvaine sterling was made in so many pieces. I've heard it was not a full place line, which is obviously not true. Robert R. Perry, RN, MS ampicob IP: Logged

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