# Parsifal by Wagner - London 1911



## cguidi (Oct 4, 2013)

I recently acquired a beautiful Wakely & Wheeler Silver bowl with the words "London" "Parsifal" and "Juni 1911" engraved under each of the lion/serpent handles. The sterling silver date stamp is from 1910. From what I could find Parsifal was a Richard Wagner opera performed in Bayreuth Germany from 1883-1914. It does not seem that the opera was performed in London until 1914 due copyright restrictions so I don't know why that would be engraved with a 1911 date. Can anyone out there help me with this mystery. Thanks!


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Wagner did not invent 'Parsifal'.

http://www.missgien.net/arthurian/legend4.html

Your bowl may be related to a non-Wagnerian Parsifal event.


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## Danforth (May 12, 2013)

Hilltroll72 said:


> Wagner did not invent 'Parsifal'.


Even so, Wagner was the first (at least to my knowledge) to use the spelling "Parsifal" rather than the "Parzival" of Wolfram von Eschenbach's original. In fact, Wagner was virtually the first person after Wolfram to make use of the Parsifal legend to any noteworthy extent, and nearly all use of it after Wagner was undeniably Wagner-related. It seems unlikely to me that the bowl is not in some way related to Wagner.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

I agree that the Parsifal spelling implies Wagner.

According to this website http://www.925-1000.com:

Lion - British sterling .925 purity
Uncrowned leopard - London, 1822-present
p - Made in 1910

Perhaps a gift to commemorate somebody's pilgrimage to Bayreuth.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

cguidi said:


> Can anyone out there help me with this mystery?


...das ist Karfreitagszauber, Herr.


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## cguidi (Oct 4, 2013)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> ...das ist Karfreitagszauber, Herr.


Wer ist Karfreitagszauber, Herr . . . . . .


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

cguidi said:


> Wer ist Karfreitagszauber, Herr . . . . . .


It's a quote from _Parsifal_, Act III. Our hero tells the hermit, Gurnemanz, that he has never seen the woods so beautiful, nor had the flowers smelled so sweet; it is as if they're speaking to him. Gurnemanz has the explanation: "Das ist Karfreitagszauber, Herr" - "That is Good Friday magic, Sir".


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