An elegant and understated 12-piece mid-century modern cutlery set designed by Austrian architect and designer Oswald Haerdtl in 1958. The set consists of six knives and six forks, serving six people. Manufactured by Neuzeughammer Ambosswerk, a highly regarded Austrian cutlery manufacturer that collaborated with renowned designers such as Carl Auböck, Helmut Alder, and János Megyik. Known as breakfast or snack cutlery, the set was designed for casual dining.
Crafted from polished stainless steel with warm, medium reddish-brown wooden handles, each piece features decorative brass rivets. The set is in very good vintage condition, showing only minor signs of wear, suggesting that it has seen little use. One knife has been resharpened, as shown in the photographs. Each piece is marked with the Amboss name and company logo. Dimensions: 6.25 in. / 16 cm long.
In our opinion, this is the most beautiful cutlery design ever produced by Amboss Neuzeughammer. It is also certainly among the rarest and most sought-after designs from the manufacturer.
Oswald Haerdtl (1899–1959) was a renowned Austrian architect and designer. Among his best-known architectural projects in Vienna are Café Prückel, Espresso Arabia, and the Wien Museum at Karlsplatz. He also designed the Austrian Pavilion for the 1937 Paris World's Fair. In addition to his architectural work, he designed furniture, glassware, cutlery, and particularly lighting fixtures and chandeliers for manufacturers including J. & L. Lobmeyr, Thonet, and Amboss Neuzeughammer. One of his most celebrated product designs is the “Ambassador” Drinking Set No. 240, created for Lobmeyr in 1925.
Amboss Neuzeughammer was an Austrian manufacturer of high-quality stainless steel cutlery and tableware, particularly known for its modernist designs from the 1950s to the 1970s. The company collaborated with renowned designers including Carl Auböck III, Helmut Alder, Oswald Haerdtl, and János Megyik. Its products are regarded as fine examples of Austrian mid-century design. Amboss was acquired by Rosenthal in 1969.