The Fraget cup holder is decorated with a repeating relief pattern in the form of a floral ornament. Attention is drawn to the curly handle with mascaron,
a decorative relief in the form of a mask depicting a human face, the face of an animal, or a fantastic creature. Mascarons are usually placed on the keystones of arches, over window and door openings, and are used as water cannons for fountains. In addition to architecture, mascarons are used in decorative and applied arts to decorate weapons, furniture, and dishes.
At the bottom of the product, there is a triangular stamp of the ‘Buch Brothers’ manufacturer with inscriptions in Polish. The company ‘Buch Brothers’ was first known under the German name Gebreder Buch. Already in 1809, this company opened a factory in St. Petersburg. The company specialized in the production of buttons for army uniforms. In the middle of the 19th century, a branch of the factory opened in Warsaw. Later, the company’s products were awarded a gold medal at the Moscow exhibition. After that, the company received the right to depict the Russian State Emblem on its products.
In addition to the company name, another inscription on the stamp can be seen: “W.M.F. WARSZAWA GALW.”. “GALW.” is an abbreviation of the Polish “GALWANIZACJA”, which translates as electroplating and means the method of applying silver. This was the method by which the stamp was covered with silver.
In comparison with other silver coating technologies, electroplating has important advantages. Not only copper, but also brass, zinc, nickel, and their alloys are suitable for electroplating silver. The most suitable for electroplating is an alloy consisting of 60% copper, 12% nickel and 28% zinc, since it looks like silver. In addition, electroplating allows for applying thinner layers of silver, which reduces the cost of the product.
In the middle of the 19th century, Joseph Fraget, the founder of the famous factory of silver-coated products, introduced a revolutionary method of electroplating silver. Production expanded rapidly, and soon the factory had a machine for automatic production of cutlery. Products became so popular that the word “Fraget” began to be used for calling any silver-plated product.
At the bottom of the product, there is a triangular stamp of the ‘Buch Brothers’ manufacturer with inscriptions in Polish. The company ‘Buch Brothers’ was first known under the German name Gebreder Buch. Already in 1809, this company opened a factory in St. Petersburg. The company specialized in the production of buttons for army uniforms. In the middle of the 19th century, a branch of the factory opened in Warsaw. Later, the company’s products were awarded a gold medal at the Moscow exhibition. After that, the company received the right to depict the Russian State Emblem on its products.
In addition to the company name, another inscription on the stamp can be seen: “W.M.F. WARSZAWA GALW.”. “GALW.” is an abbreviation of the Polish “GALWANIZACJA”, which translates as electroplating and means the method of applying silver. This was the method by which the stamp was covered with silver.
In comparison with other silver coating technologies, electroplating has important advantages. Not only copper, but also brass, zinc, nickel, and their alloys are suitable for electroplating silver. The most suitable for electroplating is an alloy consisting of 60% copper, 12% nickel and 28% zinc, since it looks like silver. In addition, electroplating allows for applying thinner layers of silver, which reduces the cost of the product.
In the middle of the 19th century, Joseph Fraget, the founder of the famous factory of silver-coated products, introduced a revolutionary method of electroplating silver. Production expanded rapidly, and soon the factory had a machine for automatic production of cutlery. Products became so popular that the word “Fraget” began to be used for calling any silver-plated product.
