Pairpoint Art Nouveau Nymph Centerpiece

Sold as presented; to be candled by Salvage Bohemia.

Approx. 32 oz wax pour • $2.30 per oz

A remarkable turn-of-the-century Pairpoint Manufacturing Co. quadruple silver-plated bowl, model 5554, combining sculptural water lilies, a female figure and sweeping botanical handles in a wonderfully exuberant Art Nouveau design.

At the center of the bowl, a classically rendered female water nymph or maiden emerges among water-lily leaves and blossoms, her figure modeled directly into the surrounding botanical relief. The scalloped rim opens outward like overlapping petals, while the pedestal below continues the aquatic theme with deeply molded leaves and flowers.

Two extraordinary openwork handles sweep upward from either side in long, fluid curves, terminating in sculpted flower buds. Rather than functioning as separate applied ornament, the handles seem to grow directly from the foliage of the bowl, giving the entire piece the organic movement associated with Art Nouveau design at the turn of the 20th century.

The underside is marked “Pairpoint Mfg. Co. / Quadruple Plate / New Bedford, Mass. / Pat’d June 28, 1904 / 5554.” Pairpoint Manufacturing Company operated in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and produced an extensive range of decorative silver-plated wares alongside the glass for which the Pairpoint name later became particularly well known. The designation quadruple plate refers to the heavier grade of silver plating marketed by American manufacturers during this period; the piece is silver plate rather than sterling.

Repurposed as a candle vessel, the design becomes almost theatrical. Wax fills the scalloped interior while the nymph, water lilies and sweeping handles remain visible around it, making the candle feel less like something placed inside an antique and more like another element of the original design. Once finished, the vessel remains a collectible piece of early-20th-century American silver plate and can return to use as a decorative centerpiece or display bowl.

Style it somewhere it can be seen from every angle: a dining table, mantel, library table or console alongside old silver, botanical engravings, antique glass and other Art Nouveau or nature-inspired pieces.

Origin: New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA, c. 1904
Maker: Pairpoint Manufacturing Co.
Material: Quadruple silver plate
Condition: Excellent antique condition.