Measures: Height 3-3/4 inches
Diameter 8-1/8 inches
Weight: 15-1/2 oz
Fully hallmarked, 800° Silver
Lazarus Posen Witwe was unique among 19th-20th century German silver manufactories in that its owner and principal director was a Jewish woman.
The firm was founded in Frankfurt am Main in 1869 by Brendina Wetzlar, the widow of Lazarus Jacob Posen, a silversmith and retailer of Polish descent. It is not clear when Posen himself died, but clearly, it was before 1869.
Under the Posen widow’s stewardship, the firm became the largest supplier of Judaica in the late 19th century. Her son Jacob L. Posen joined the firm by 1880, and by 1900, the company’s large staff of chasers and engravers were producing some of the finest silver in the country.
They received a royal warrant in 1903 and opened a second shop in Berlin. The firm followed all the latest continental trends incorporating both Danish and Austrian styles into their output.
In the 20th century the firm was under the direction of Brendina’s grandsons Jakob, Hermann and Moritz Posen.
The exact date of the company’s closure is not known, but it seems certain that the wealthy Jewish-owned firm was a victim of the terrors of the Nazi regime. Articles by Posen Witwe are held today in both, Frankfurt Historical Museum and Frankfurt Jewish Museum.”
