Pudełko i paterka. Margit Tevan (1901-1978). Węgry.

She was born into a Jewish intellectual family (her father owned a publishing house) and graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Budapest. Initially fascinated by Bauhaus, she became involved with Arpad Vertes' studio. Her next fascination was Art Deco, and she eventually began creating in a style described as archaic romanticism, which refers to older styles, especially the Romanesque style.

Margit enjoyed several successes in her youth. Her work was recognized at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937, then she received a medal at the World Exhibition in New York in 1939, and finally won a silver medal at the World Triennial in Milan in 1940. The war interrupted her promising career. She ended up in the Budapest ghetto, and she and her family were saved from death by the Swedish embassy. After the war, she remained in Hungary, continuing to create mainly applied art. She worked mainly in metal. Her favorite material was silver-plated copper sheet, in which she hand-embossed patterns. She drew inspiration from the Old and New Testaments, combining Jewish and Christian traditions.

Appreciated in Hungary, she received the country's highest artistic award, numerous orders and crosses of merit.

Her works sometimes appear at auctions. As a curiosity, I will mention a cigarette case belonging to Marilyn Monroe from David Gainsborough's collection, which sold for over $2,500.

I have already offered a work by this artist in the past. The bas-relief was sold to Hungary. This time, I managed to acquire some of her functional items at the Warsaw Kole. A box and a small cake stand. Made using the same technique from silver-plated brass. They are decorated with scenes from everyday life, very characteristic of Margit. Simple, almost banal, but full of warmth and respect for people and animals.

The works are signed, numbered, and dated. The box was made in 1964 and the plate in 1965. They are in good condition with no silver wear. They just need to be cleaned. I am listing the items together, treating the plate as a bonus to the box.

The box measures 15 x 15 x 3 cm. The inside is lined with wood. The plate measures 12 x 12 cm, and the inner relief is a square with sides measuring 6 cm.