Giovanni Ciceri presents:
British cast candlesticks
A piece of beauty and a challenge for collectors
The use of candlesticks is documented since the antique
Greek period and the Roman Empire. Candlesticks have
been produced in all periods but it is just after the
restoration of monarchy (1660) that in England survived
a sufficient number of pieces to allow scholars to
describe in details their evolution in style and shape.
During Charles II period (around 1670) candlesticks were
generally made of hammered silver. They were highly
ornate and with a square base, but lobed section base
examples are also known .....
click here
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Welcome to new ASCAS members:
Dan Bach - USA
Riccardo Bonardi - Italy
Kay Bryan - USA
Patreece DeArmond - USA
Thomas Griswold - USA
Truus Hazelbroek - The Netherlands
Chris Miller - USA
Yousefi Shahran - Iran
Joanne Sunderman - USA
Denise Tinkham - USA
Members' Window # 105
Dr. David N. Nikogosyan
presents:
Marks of European Silver Plate: XIV Württembergische
Metallwarenfabrik (WMF), Geislingen, Wurtemberg, Germany
WMF is the abbreviation for Württembergische
Metallwarenfabrik, which in English means Wurtemberg
Metalware Factory. The history of this foundry is well
documented. WMF was created in 1880 after the successful
merger of two Wurtemberg foundries, the Geislingen
factory belonging to Daniel Straub (Straub & Sohn) and
the Esslingen factory of Alfred Ritter (A. Ritter &
Co.). The first foundry was commercially more successful,
while the second one was using a more advanced
technology of galvanic silver deposition, which was
first applied in Esslingen by the German chemist Carl
Haegele (in 1871), the brother-in-law of Alfred Ritter.
In 1881, after the retirement of Daniel Straub, Carl
Haegele became the managing director of WMF. In the same
year the Esslingen factory was dismantled and its
equipment was incorporated into the Geislingen foundry.
During the next thirty years WMF experienced a period of
rapid expansion, which lasted until the beginning of the
World War in 1914.....
click here
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Robert Ringold writes:
... This is an item that has been in the same family for 130
years. The original owner lived next door to the Tiffany family
in NYC and it was made especially for them.
I am attempting to appraise it, but cannot yet find anything
comparable to assign a value.
Has anyone ever seen a similar urn? The stamp indicates that it
was made in 1881 or 1882. It is 17" high and weighs
approximately 3 kg.
All the best
Robert Ringold
***ANSWER PUBLISHED IN MARCH 2013 NEWSLETTER***
Alan Davis writes:
... Does anyone have any info on this piece?
It has the stamp salim 800MD on the back
Alan Davis
I believe that your piece is a "Yogya silver" made in
Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia (after 1935 c.)
Giorgio Busetto
John Cole writes:
...Can you perhaps give me some information on this coffee set I
found some time ago in Adelaide Australia?
It consists of 12 porcelain cups with a makers mark and the name
Monopoli. There are 12 silver-plated coffee cup holders with a
Hallmark 800 and a maker's mark that is quite small and I have
yet to identify.
There are 12 silver-plated saucers each with the same hallmark.
There is one porcelain sugar bowl (same maker's mark as the cups)
with a silver-plated holder with two handles and finally 12
silver-plated spoons.
Thanks for your help,
John Cole
I'm not sure about the Italian origin of your set (the
mark on the bottom is unknown to me).
If so, your item is 800/1000 silver fineness, not silver-plate.
The maker of the cup holders could be, possibly, Petruzzi &
Branca (see my website at
http://www.silvercollection.it/italiansilvermarks2.html).
Sorry, I have no knowledge about porcelain.
Giorgio Busetto
In this column we presents a page obtained from makers'
brochures, books, auction catalogs, advertising or whatever
other printed paper, related to silver, that may be of interest
for ASCAS members.
The images will be published at a "low resolution" level and for
private and personal use only
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This month ASCAS presents a page from the 1918
catalogue of J.C. Vickery of London
J.C. VICKERY
Their Majesties Jeweller
Silversmiths & Dressing Case
Manufacturer
177 to 183 Regent Street London
No C. 156 - A Very Charming Solid Tortoiseshell and
Sterling Silver Mounted
and Beautifully Inlaid "Chippendale" Toilet Service
of Five Pieces
A retailer partnership founded in 1890 by John
Collard Vickery and Arthur Thomas Hobbs. The
partnership ceased in 1891 and J.C. Vickery
continued the business alone. In the 1910s the firm
obtained Royal Warrants of Appointments in UK, Spain,
Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The firm was closed for
bankrupt in 1930.
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"A WORD per MONTH"
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ELECTROTYPE (METALWORK)
GALVANOPLASTY
Electrotyping is a chemical method used to produce a
metal facsimile of any object.
The process consists in forming from the model a soft
material mold (wax or gutta-percha) and coating its
surface with a thin layer of graphite powder to make it
electrically conductive.
The mold, acting as a cathode, is immersed in an
electrolyte solution and a wire is connected to the
electrical source and to the metal anode (also immersed
in the solution).
The electrical current dissolves the metal atoms of the
anode which enter in the electrolyte as ions taken up by
the conducting surface of the mold.
The electrical circuit is closed when the metal layer on
the mold reaches the requested thickness.
Base-metal electrotypes could be silver plated, or gilt
to more closely resemble the original work......
more
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"A SILVERSMITH per MONTH"
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THE GOLDSMITHS & SILVESMITHS CO LTD
The firm was established in
1880 by William Gibson (d. 1913) and John Lawrence
Langman (1846-1928).
The firm was active at 112 Regent Street, London
acquiring the premises previously used by John Joseph
Mechi.
In 1893 the firm absorbed The Goldsmiths' Alliance Ltd
(late A.B. Savory & Sons) and in 1898 became the
Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co Ltd being active as
jewellers, dealers in diamonds and precious stones,
silversmiths, electroplaters and watch and clock makers.
In 1952 Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co Ltd was amalgamated
with Garrard & Co Ltd.
The firm participated to a number of national and
international exhibitions, as Indian and Colonial
Exhibition (London, 1886), Paris (1889), Chicago (1893),
California (1894), Paris (1900) and Franco-British
Exhibition (London, 1908).....
more
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"A BOOK ON MY SHELF"
In this column we present books, new
or ancient, dealing with silver in all its aspects (history,
marks, oddities...). This isn't a "book review" but only a fair
presentation of some useful "tools" that anyone may have in the
shelf of his bookcase.
ASCAS members are invited to contribute to this column
(click to enlarge images)
In the "book on my shelf" of this month ASCAS presents:
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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EARLY AMERICAN
SILVERSMITHS AND THEIR MARKS WITH A CONCISE GLOSSARY
OF TERMS
Revised and Edited by Rita R. Benson
Benson Gallery Press
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
First printing 1966
Second printing 1972
Most of the information concerning the early workers
of silver in the country is scattered through various
catalogues of Exhibitions or sales. Therefore, there is
no place to which a collector or a dealer can turn for
concise data to identify a piece of silver or to
understand its description.
This encyclopedia, written by Hollis French and
published originally by the Walpole Society of Boston,
is comparable to the exhaustive works which have been
published abroad on the English silversmiths.
Even though a considerable amount of work was required
to collect the information published in this volume only
200 copies of the original book were printed with
availability limited to Members of the Walpole Society
and various libraries. The current printing, revised and
edited by Rita R. Benson, makes this volume available to
general public.
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Closing our FEBRUARY 2013 edition of ASCAS Newsletter I
hope you have appreciated its content.
Your comments, suggestions and advice will be of great help.
My thanks to Giovanni Ciceri, John Cole, Alan Davis, John
Lawrence, Dr. David N. Nikogosyan, Robert Ringold for their
precious contributions.
Giorgio Busetto
Secretary
DISCLAIMER AND PRIVACY POLICY
ASCAS is a community of people having a common
interest in antique silver.
It is a non-profit association without commercial links.
Membership is open to whomever has a true interest in
this subject matter.
ASCAS has no real property and no fees are requested nor
accepted from members.
ASCAS keeps in touch with its members only through
periodical newsletters, e-mails and web-site updating
and ignores and is not responsible for any other
activity pursued by its members.
Likewise, ASCAS is not responsible for opinions,
evaluation and images displayed, and in any form
published or supplied for publication, by its members
who, in any case, maintain the property of their works
and assure the respect of national and international
legislation about Intellectual Property.
ASCAS does not have the full addresses of its members (only
town, country and e-mail address are requested for
membership).
ASCAS handles and protects with care its members' e-mail
addresses, will not disclose the addresses to third
parties, will use this information only to reply to
requests received from members and for communications
strictly related to its activity.
These rules are expressly accepted by submitting the
membership request.
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newsletter # 105 February 2013
