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| Brief description | Wrought iron epergne, Cyril Colnik, Milwaukee, late nineteenth or early twentieth century. |
| Object name | Epergne |
| Alternate object name | Centerpiece |
| Maker | Colnik, Cyril, 1871-1958 |
| Date | 1893-1955 |
| Dimensions | 16"H x 10" base diam. |
| Materials and techniques | Painted wrought iron |
| Original location | Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin |
| Current location | Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin |
| Description | The curving botanical forms of this wrought iron epergne or centerpiece reveal the influence of the Art Nouveau style. Base formed of dramatically curved stems and leaves. Two cattails with twisted tops at center. Traces of red and green paint on flowers and stems. |
| History | Trained in Vienna and Munich, master metalworker Cyril Colnik settled in Milwaukee in 1893, where he created decorative wrought iron work for dozens of homes and public buildings until his retirement in 1955. He also designed vases, candlesticks, door hardware, and other ornamental wares in a variety of styles. The Colnik Collection of the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum includes more than 200 examples of Colnik's work donated to the museum by his daughter Gretchen Colnik in 1991. The Villa Terrace is also home to the Colnik Archive, an extensive collection of original drawings, blueprints and photographs donated by the Kohler Foundation in 2002. |
| Sources | Bertha Kitchell Whyte, Craftsmen of Wisconsin (Racine, WI: Western Publishing Co., 1971); Virginia Jones Maher, "The Wrought Iron Artistry of Cyril Colnik" Wisconsin Academy Review 44, no. 3 (1998) (available online via the State of Wisconsin Collection): http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/wiacrev/index.html A brief biography of Colnik is available from the Wisconsin Historical Society's Dictionary of Wisconsin History: http://wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=14917 |
| Owner | Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum |
| Object # | VT1992.101 |
| Rights | © 2008 by the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. Contact the owner for more information. http://www.cavtmuseums.org |
| Digital collection | Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database |
| Digital identifier | VT039 |
| Digital format | image/jpeg |
| Type | Physical object |
| Keywords | Metalwork; Epergne; Container (receptacle); Furnishings and equipment; Food Service Tools and Equipment |
