Vintage German Elfinware Floral Place Card Holders - Set of 6

"I must have flowers, always and always..."

~ Claude Monet

Employed as a component of proper etiquette for dinner parties and special occasions, place card and menu holders evolved from simple silver or wooden stands into elaborate table dressing during the late Victorian era. Ever-so-chic while ensuring a hostess could dictate the most advantageous (and hierarchical) seating around the dining table as well as impress guests with her elaborate menu planning savvy, holders flourished in popularity during the Edwardian era due to the King's penchant for all manner of unusual and exotic culinary fare.

As cooks in upwardly mobile middle class home were challenged by their employers to create elaborate dishes in the manner of the nobility, many item names on "the bill of fare" as well as their ingredients required a bit of an introduction. As menus became increasingly more elaborate, their holders became more lavish.

Recently discovered at market, we are smitten with this set of 6 Vintage German Elfinware Floral Place Card Holders. Covered in applied flowers and leaves, Elfinware is highly prized by collectors for its delicate porcelain executed with a profusion of garden flowers and foliage. Crafted in great detail with delicate hand-finished fleurs adorning each holder, this exquisitely detailed set was expertly produced in the Coberg region of Germany during the Art Deco era by luxury porcelain house Von Schierholz, established in 1815 under control of the sovereign Gunther Friedrich Carl I.

Brimming with dainty forget-me-nots in vibrant blue and lush roses in blossom pink, these enchanting holders promise to add sumptuous color and grace to the table while bringing the charms of Paris in bloom to your next dinner party!