In the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, German silverware factories began producing silver-plated copper-alloy and white-metal objects by newer techniques such as electroplating. Most of the Judaica they designed reached back to Jewish tradition for stylistic inspiration--for example, incorporating the knobbed arms and stepped bases that imitated the ancient Temple menorah--while others continued to turn out pieces in the revival styles of the nineteenth century.
The new styles of early-twentieth-century decorative arts, from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, were largely ignored by the mass manufacturers of Judaica. Exceptions include this lovely lamp in the Jugendstil--the German version of Art Nouveau--with its geometric form and spiral ornamentation. A predilection for spirals was also found in the Austrian Wiener Werkstätte products around the same time. The factory that produced the lamp, Orivit, was only in business for five years under that name, from 1900 to 1905, before it was incorporated into the Württembergisches Metallwarenfabrik of Geislingen.