Hermann Samuel, eldest son of Salomon Ratzersdorfer, antiques and second-hand dealer, born 1815, moved to Vienna in the early 1840s. And in 1843 he opened his own factory “Goldwaren, Silber und Juwelenfabrik”. Ratzersdorfer focused on producing neo-Renaissance and neo-rococo jewelry.
At that time, such things were at the peak of popularity. Already in 1846, he successfully performed at the Vienna exhibition Gewerbsprodukte-Ausstellung. And at the World Exhibition in London in 1851, Ratzersdorfer was one of four exhibitors from Austria who demonstrated the work of Austrian jewelers. He received a medal for a 135-ounce mirror presented, “whose frame is entirely of solid silver, richly decorated with various ornaments and numerous groups and single figures.”
He created a magnificent series of crystal objects in jewelry settings with enamel for the Vienna International Exhibition in 1873. These are the works you will see in the selection.