Court Kitchen
The Court on the Road

Old Court Silver and Table Rooms

In the five rooms of the Old Court Silver and Table Room with its oak display cases dating from the time of the monarchy you will see individual items or pieces from Old Vienna, Hungarian and Bohemian services.

The old Court Silver and Table Rooms

Note the fine glass services made by the firm of Lobmeyr in Vienna with different variations in the way they have been cut.

A remarkable exhibit here is the unusual English dinner service from the Minton manufactory that Empress Elisabeth gave to Emperor Franz Joseph for his hunting lodge at Offensee.

The Grand Vermeil is without doubt one of the most important services in the Court Silver Room. A major work of French goldsmith’s art, it originally included articles for forty place settings. Around 1850 it was enlarged to 140 settings by Viennese silversmiths.

Today this magnificent service consists of a total of 4500 items and weighs over 1,000 kg. It is made of fire-gilt silver, called ‘vermeil’ in French, hence its name.

 The last room in the old Silver Chamber contains silver plates, chargers, dishes, casseroles and tureens, giving a impression of the sheer quantity of court silver tableware that was in daily use. This solid silverware bears the imperial coat of arms and is notable for its unadorned, restrained elegance.

Further Reading