Sterling Shell Dish | ||
| Art Nouveau Silver85 of 96 |  |  |
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Posted 13 years ago
Silverunde…
(7 items)
Hi :),
I just bought this beautiful shell dish beacuse of the scallop edge and shell feet.
Can anyone tell me what this cool hallmarks are on the back?
The piece feels like sterling but I have no idea what these marks are or where it came from.
Thanks.......
Tina
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Is it a salt? A salt dish.
You should never keep salt in a silver dish; highly corrosive.
The butler always took care of it for you!
The work of the piece looks really good.
The mark of the lion and a staff would be a family crest.
The other marks look a bit strange to my eye.
There's a list of world marks here:
http://www.925-1000.com/foreign_marks.html
I find this a really interesting item.
Not sure of the hallmarks but it looks like a baptismal shell that the priest uses to scoop water from the baptismal font to baptize the recipient. They make more modern versions of this but none that I have seen as beautiful as yours.
I like mizjane's idea. I'd just expect a bit of Christian symbolism on the handle. I just noticed the shell feet, too. Could it be Italian? The English would have had to have had hallmarks to keep it legal. It was certainly a Georgian design used for a salt dish.
Thanks everyone, I'm still looking to see if I can find where it was made. I just measured it and it is 6 3/4 inches {handle to bottom} by almost 5 1/2 inches at its widest.
So, being that big do you think it was a salt dish? Thats one big salt dish :) Yikes! Sodium anyone? ;) ;)
Check out "ceremonial salts". Some were really very large.
This is an article on the concept of salt=status.
http://www.howtospendit.com/#!/articles/6359-past-masters-vintage-maps
Mind you you'll find butter dishes using the same form too!
On the marks though. What are the animals?
I see horse crescent moon and crowned gryphon.
But are they stamped or engraved?
The 9 and the A both look like they are stamped.
Thank you vetario50, that's my question I have no idea what hese marks are? They look like hallmarks. So confused......
Tina
Ohhh La La - this is exquisite!
Hi again, I've just seen this new listing that has two items with these marks:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/54433-sugar-and-creamer-tin-or-silver?in=activity
Crescent Silverware Mfg. Company, Port Jervis, New York.
Founded in 1922 in New York City. Moved to Port Jervis in
1939. Sold to Samuel Kirk & Son in 1977.
See this link and scroll down. It is listed in my Pewter makers link.
http://www.pewtertankardsflagons.com/index.php?p=1_37_Silverplate-marks-C
Very bottom of the page, next to the last mark.
Found it!
They are the marks of the Crescent Silverware Manufacturing Company, Port Jervis, NY, USA. Founded 1922.
This looks like one of the items that were stolen at an estate sale in North Knoxville.