Lavinite () is a mixture of metal particles (usually iron) and sand held together by solidified molten

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

. Instead of metal particles,

magnesite Magnesite is a mineral with the chemical formula ( magnesium carbonate). Iron, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may occur as admixtures, but only in small amounts. Occurrence Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic r ...

could be used to give a whiter product. The idea was to make a material that looks like marble. It was invented c. 1912 by Willy Henker, who in that year opened the factory "Kunststein-Industrie W. Henker & Co" in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, which was in operation until at least 1936. Henker produced decorative items from lavinite such as vases, candlesticks, lamps,

chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

s and

rosette Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

s as well as letters and advertising signs. Lavinite products were usually black, less often white or colored, enameled or covered with "antique" bronze. Initially, the factory offered items in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style. Later they introduced lines in antique, oriental and

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

styles. In 1922, Kunststein-Industrie W. Henker & Co opened a sales office in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and lavinite became very popular in the United States. Afterwards, Henker sold the patent for lavinite production to the U.S., France, Austria and Poland. In 1923 the factory "Lavinit. Krupka I Perlicz" opened in

Włocławek Włocławek (; or ''Alt Lesle'', Yiddish: וולאָצלאַוועק, romanized: ''Vlatzlavek'') is a city in the Kuyavian–Pomeranian Voivodeship in central Poland along the Vistula River, bordered by the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park ...

, Poland, where it operated until 1939. They offered products from Willy Henker's factory catalogue. Over time, the assortment was expanded by items referring to the history of Poland, such as busts of Prince

Józef Poniatowski Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski (; 7 May 1763 – 19 October 1813) was a Polish general, minister of war and army chief, who became a Marshal of the French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. A nephew of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lit ...

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...

. For a short time, lavinite items were also produced by the ''Wulkanit'' factory in

Grudziądz Grudziądz (, ) is a city in northern Poland, with 92,552 inhabitants (2021). Located on the Vistula River, it lies within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the fourth-largest city in its province. Grudziądz is one of the oldest citie ...

. Currently, decorative items in lavinite are popular and valued at auctions all around the world. The biggest collection of them, comprising 63 items, is in the Muzeum Ziemi Kujawskiej i Dobrzyńskiej in Włocławek.

References

{{Reflist Alloys Decorative arts Polish brands

See also

References