SCHWABENLAND COPPER PANS AND POTS
August 24, 2021,
This page is put online for Martin and Arndt who have done a superb job regarding the German copper pot maker Gebrüder Schwabenland. We hope that the elements produced on this page help them to progress in their research.
You can find their work on the VFC website here:
I start with whether you can make a Schwabenland type copper pot with a lathe. The answer is not clear with the pictures of the Schwabenland pots online and the lathe work not being visible on the pots Martin and Arndt own. We can say that yes, thanks to the Liege brand which had among its range of copper pots pots of the same type as Schwabenland. The question was not whether Liege was supplied by Schwabenland or whether they were imitations. But to know if the lathe work was possible. So definitely the answer is yes.
I would also add that the copper pots from the Liege house were top of the range and not low-end and thin pots.
Now comes another question. Martin and Arndt seem convinced that the copper pots with reinforcements at the base and at the top rim were produced by the house of Vogelsang & Kuhn. A catalog from 1927 shows in its first pages the copper pots reinforced at the bottom and at the top under the name J.V.K. Kupfergeschirre (copper pots and pans). Hence a supposition that the letters "V" and "K" could correspond to Vogelsang & Kuhn but without knowing what the letter "J" would be.
The first thing that troubles me is that Schwabenland filed a patent in 1906 for kitchen pots with an outer protective ring. And on my side I found a representative of the Schwabenland house in 1907 in Paris who offers pots with interior and exterior reinforcement. Are these already the pots we are talking about (reinforcement at the top and bottom)?
The patent is for 15 years. It should end around 1922.
So I have a little trouble believing that later, in 1927, their pots were supplied by another independent company.
Unless it wasn't really independent ... Which leads me to speak not of "J.V.K" but of "I.V.K". This is why this adventure is not over and there are still things to discover.
First, this pot "I.V.K. D.R.P. ORIGINAL SCHWABENLAND". Very nice workmanship. Made in one piece most certainly partly using lathe work.
And then this pot, always "I.V.K. D.R.P. ORIGINAL SCHWABENLAND". But this time made with a piece added by strong solder for the bottom. The assumption of a fake SCHWABENLAND pot or an imitation is completely excluded. And this for several reasons. The first being the very high quality of this pot. It indicates a diameter of 26cm and a weight of 7.8kg !!!! Suffice to say that we are playing in the big leagues! And then, as you can see, it comes from a Bristol hotel. So, a counterfeiter could go to the small local restaurant to sell him fake GAILLARD, JACQUOTOT, SCHWABENLAND pots, etc ... He will have a chance to sell them.
But in a Bristol-type hotel, he has no chance of success. A restaurant of this type does not wait for a stranger to knock on the door to offer its products. Relations between the chef or the kitchen equipment purchasing manager and the supplier are well established and perfectly organized.
Each party knows each other well. Purchases are made directly in the store and when this is not possible, it is very well done remotely by phone or mail at this time.
Voila, it remains to define what "J.V.K" means and what "I.V.K" means. The story is not over and there are still great things to discover!
To all Copper Lovers !
Regards, T.J.
I would like to point out that it is not here that you will find the history of the Schwabenland house but on the site link above through the work of Martin and Arndt.
As Martin points out, to become immersed in this story, one should read the comments and discussions completely, as well as the posts in the VFC library.
He further clarifies that: "I have always emphasized that the results found of my research represent a snapshot, a lot of things are unexplained and require further investigation. For this, I also asked for the help and cooperation of readers."
So here is my help below:
