{"product_id":"vintage-german-pewter-twin-handled-vase-zinn-mark-c-1900-1940","title":"Vintage German Pewter Twin-Handled Vase, Zinn Mark, c. 1900–1940","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA small twin-handled vase in pewter, turned on the lathe to a baluster body over a stepped circular foot, with a waisted neck cut with two groups of fine reeded bands and a wide flaring rim. Two large C-scroll handles spring from the shoulder and sweep up past the rim, each finishing in a cast volute at the top and a scrolled leaf terminal below. They are cast separately and soldered on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surface is a soft grey with the darker mottling that pewter takes on over decades, scattered dark specks, and light scratching consistent with handling. Inside, the lathe rings are clearly visible down the neck and across the base disc. The foot sits flat, the rim is round, and both handles are firm with no movement at the joints.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe base carries a struck circular mark: ZINN across the top, GERMAN below, around a central cast device. Zinn is simply the German word for pewter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat mark does more work than it looks. Marking a country of origin in English rather than in the maker's own language is an export convention, and for goods entering the United States it follows the McKinley Tariff Act of 1891, which required imported articles to be marked with the country of origin in English. A German vessel stamped GERMAN rather than DEUTSCHLAND was made to be sold abroad, and it cannot predate that requirement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a second signal worth reporting with its caveat. From 1949 to 1990, goods exported from the Federal Republic were customarily marked WEST GERMANY, and from 1945 to 1949 GERMANY U.S. ZONE. A plain GERMANY therefore points away from those decades. That is a convention rather than a law, and exceptions exist, so it is offered here as a lean rather than a proof.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe construction sits comfortably with an earlier reading. The body is spun and lathe-finished rather than moulded to shape, the handles are cast separately and soldered rather than cast integral, and the foot is a turned step rather than a stamped disc. On the mark and the construction together it is offered as c. 1900–1940. The letters either side of the central device are worn past reading, and a legible maker's name there would narrow it further; I have not guessed at one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n  \u003ctbody\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eType\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTwin-handled vase\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePewter\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMarks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStruck circular mark to the base: ZINN above, GERMAN below, around a central device; maker's letters worn illegible\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eConstruction\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLathe-turned body on a stepped foot, cast handles soldered to the shoulder\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ec. 1900–1940\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHeight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6.5 in.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWidth across handles\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5.5 in.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBase Diameter\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e3 in.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSound and standing flat. Grey pewter surface with darker mottling, scattered specks and light scratching from handling. Handles firm, rim round, no dents, splits, repairs or losses. Not polished; offered with its patina intact.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy It Belongs in Your Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePewter is the quiet metal. It does not flash the way silver or brass does, so a pewter vessel reads as weight and shape rather than shine, and it sits with almost anything: oak, linen, stoneware, old books.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt six and a half inches it is a short-stem vase or simply an object. Put a handful of dried seedheads in it, or leave it empty on a shelf and let the two big handles do the work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48080739663977,"sku":"VE-1663","price":415.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/8A3E3CC9-3C85-4B4E-A080-F259D6C8AB61.jpg?v=1789741982","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/vintage-german-pewter-twin-handled-vase-zinn-mark-c-1900-1940","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}