ASCAS Association of Small Collectors of Antique Silver


newsletter # 176 January 2019      site: www.ASCASonline.org   email: silverassociation@yahoo.it

YOUR GUIDE TO JANUARY NEWSLETTER:
articles    new members    members' window    mail to ASCAS    replies to questions    a page per month    a silversmith per month    a word per month
    a crest per month    a year per month    contributors to this Newsletter    search engine    disclaimer and privacy policy

2019 ASCAS membership
LAST WARNING

Members still interested to ASCAS and its activity are invited to send an e-mail to:

Confirming your 2019 membership please compile a new mail and don't use the "reply" button on this mail.

No action is requested to unsubscribe. Members not confirming their membership will be automatically deleted and shipping of our monthly Newsletter will be suspended on February 2019.

Giorgio Busetto
ASCAS Secretary

PLEASE IGNORE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IF YOU HAVE ALREADY CONFIRMED YOUR INTEREST, BY EMAIL, WITHIN DECEMBER 2018.

A new article for ASCAS website

Katherine Palthey presents:

Silver Enameling Techniques: Cloisonné Enameling (part 2) English version

"Enameling techniques have been around since 2000 BC and perhaps even earlier. The technique "cloisonné" is when strips of silver or gold are attached to the metal base to form a network of small raised cells like compartments into which the enamel is poured. The final thickness is built up into layers with several firings to keep the colors separated and the enamel translucent enough. The silversmith then grinds the top level to smooth out the piece and finishes by polishing the object to bring out all the different colors (see PART 1 for the history and difference in enameling methods). Enameling was first applied on gold, then silver, copper, bronze and more recently on steel and iron. Here I offer you two examples of Cloisonné: a silver tribal necklace and a pair of silver open salt cellars by the famous Russian silversmith Gustav Klingert.
click here      English version

New members

Welcome to new ASCAS members:

Bo Pang - Sweden
D. Long - England UK

Mail to ASCAS: e-mail silverassociation@yahoo.it

Pang Bo writes:
Thank you very much for your admission on me to be a member of the ASCAS. The articles are so excellent and they reveal me a profound knowledge on silver. It is so great! With growth of my knowledge and experience, I would like to try to share my experience here.
I learnt most of silver knowledge from your website http://www.silvercollection.it/. I would like to give a big particular appreciation to you and your website. I have checked the silver information on your website since I got my first silver antique item. I can say your abundant collection and profound silver knowledge guides me to start the silver collection. It gives me a great fun in my life. I don't know how I can express my gratitude to you. Thank you very very much!!
I am living both Sweden and China and fly back and forth several times a year. If I can do any contribution for the website, please no hesitate letting me know.
I bought a silver spoon in Sweden. Through the hallmark, I can see it was imported to Sweden. But I can't find where is the original country from and the date of production and purity. Besides Swedish imported silver mark (3 crowns in a round mark), it is marked letter M and B&N. The enclosed files are the pictures.
Any comments and suggestion is much more appreciated.
Best wishes,
Pang Bo

The mark on the spoon is Sweden, imported to Finland, town of Malmö, maker B&N 1918-1970 Bergstrand & Nilsson-Malmö.
You can find all this information using my webpages Sweden http://www.silvercollection.it/DICTIONARYEUHALLMARKSWEDEN.HTML and Finland http://www.silvercollection.it/DICTIONARYEUHALLMARKFINLAND.html
Giorgio Busetto

Robin Gibson writes:
I have been looking at your silver website for the date info on Elkington silver plate. A sauce ladle I recently purchase has the letter H in a diamond which I cannot find - the listed date letters start with K.
Do you think it could be 1846 or 1847? I have attached some photos. I look forward to your advice.
Robin Gibson

The information I publish are obtained from known literature. If you look at note 21 in my Elkington page you can see also an F into lozenge unknown mark. Your H mark will be added to the unresolved date list.
Giorgio Busetto

Replies to questions

Claire Gillingham receives this answer to the question about her belt published in December 2018 newsletter

Clive Taylor writes
This is military cross belt. It's for a cavalry or lancer regiment officer.
The plate marked A would have had two chains attached to "prickers" which were needle shaped plugs usually carried in the tubes on B (and are missing).
These were for spiking (incapacitating) captured artillery by being hammered into the touch holes of enemy cannon
Clive Taylor

Fritz Guercke receives these answers to the question about his bowl published in December 2018 newsletter

Francois Costes writes
Fritz Guercke's compote is silverplated. It was made in France by MANUFACTURE DE L'ALFENIDE (Saint-Denis) for CHRISTOFLE. The alfénide was a white metal imitating silver invented by the Halpen brothers (ca. 1850). It was cheaper and harder than silver.
The first stamp, on the left, represents a cat's head. It also bears the initials of Charles Christofle (CC), the founder of the company. These initials were used until 1935. (Then the company starting using its own initials: OC for Orfèvrerie Christofle).
The second stamp, on the right, is poorly struck but shows a standing rooster looking to the left. Under the shield one can decipher the words ORFEVRERIE GALLIA. This stamp was used on Christofle pieces between 1908 and 1937 (source: CHRISTOFLE / 150 ANS D'ART ET DE REVE 1991). Your newsletter published excellent photos of such stamps accessible via the following link: http://www.ascasonline.org/windowottob77.html .
Francois Costes

Marivic Limcaoco writes
I am dealer of French vintage/antique tabletop serveware. The piece above is French silver-plate. It is made by famous-maker Christofle, under their Gallia brand which was supposed to be their more popularly-priced line. Each Gallia item is stamped with a number that pertains to the piece, and a range of numbers can be dated to a certain era or decade. Even if they were intended for a greater audience before, Gallia is now valued for its design, and for the moment of time it represents in the history of Christofle.
My reference photos are below, all taken from a well-researched article on Christofle by Prof. David Nikogosyan on the ASCAS website.
Marivic Limcaoco

"A PAGE per MONTH"

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.
This column is published under the kind permission of Giorgio Busetto's website

SILVER ADVERTISEMENTS

FACTORIES, PLANTS, SALESROOMS, SHOPS AND WORKSHOPS: OLD IMAGES
www.silvercollection.it home page


This month ASCAS presents an image of the workshop of

ALCINO SILVERSMITH
in Santos Pousada Street 76, Porto, Portugal
Alcino silversmith workshop

The first independent workshop was opened in 1902 in Barão de S. Cosme Street, Porto (Portugal) by Manuel Alcino de Sousa e Silva, who, in 1911, created a society in partnership with his sons Raul Alcino and Alcino Sousa e Silva.
After the death of Manuel Alcino Sousa e Silva (1916) his son Raul Alcino Sousa e Silva registered a new mark managing the business until his retirement in 1935.
The activity was continued by his nephew Manuel Alcino de Carvalho Moutinho with a new mark and a new workshop in S. Victor Street 17, in Bonfim parish.
In 1963 Manuel Alcino de Carvalho Moutinho passed away and his mark was transferred to his son Manuel Alcino Figueiredo Moutinho.
In 1966 the workshop moved to its current location, in Santos Pousada Street 76, continuing its expansion and development by acquisition of several assets (drawings and moulds in particular) of important silversmithing companies.
In 1986 has been registered the hallmark of Manuel Alcino & Filhos, Lda and, from 1993, the firm participated to various exhibitions in Portugal and abroad (Copenhagen, S. Paulo-Brazil).
Alcino silversmith silver mark

















"A WORD per MONTH"

In this column we present an abstract from a page of the "What is? Silver Dictionary"
courtesy of
  www.silvercollection.it home page leave your LIKE on facebook

TONTINE SNUFF BOX

Tontine is an investment plan named after Neapolitan banker Lorenzo de Tonti, who is credited with inventing it in France in 1653
Each investor pays a sum into the tontine. Each investor then receives annual dividends on the capital invested. As each investor dies, his or her share is reallocated among the surviving investors and so the value of each annuity increases. This process continues until only one investor survives. Each subscriber receives only dividends; the capital is never paid back.
Originally tontines were organized by governments of France, England, the Netherlands and some German states.
By the end of the 18th century, the tontine had fallen out of favour as a revenue-raising instrument with governments, but smaller-scale and less formal tontines continued to be arranged between individuals or to raise funds for specific projects throughout the 19th century......
MORE...

"A SILVERSMITH per MONTH"

In this column we present marks, information and history of silversmiths and silver manufacturers.
This column is published under the kind permission of Giorgio Busetto's website
www.silvercollection.it home page


KOCH & BERGFELD

Gottfried Koch (Bremen, 1804), after apprenticeship and journeyman activity in Hannover, opened in 1829 his workshop in Knochenhauerstraße 12, Bremen (Germany) moving to Obernstraße in 1836.
Probably his brother on law Ludwig Bergfeld collaborated since the beginning in the activity, but only in 1856 the partnership "Koch & Bergfeld" has been officially formalized.
Georg Daniel (1849-1853) and Gottfried (1853-1857), sons of Ludwig Bergfeld apprenticed to Gottfried Koch and Georg Daniel entered in the firm as partner in 1860. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the production of silverware had changed fundamentally: even larger objects were no longer produced on the basis of individual orders, but a range of goods was kept in stock and offered for sale on the base of sale catalogs.
In 1859 the workshop was transferred to a site called Prägeanstalt, beginning a wide process of mechanization in the production of silverware with the adoption of new rational production methods (division of labor, use of machines), large use of serial production and abandonment of handicraft process in cutlery manufacture..... MORE...

"A CREST per MONTH"

In this column we present images and descriptions of Crests and Mottoes of British, Irish and Scottish families as engraved on silver items.
This column is published under the kind permission of Giorgio Busetto's website
www.silvercollection.it home page

FAMILY CRESTS: LIST OF NAMES

ILLUSTRATED DIRECTORY OF FAMILY CRESTS

ALDBOROUGH, AMOND, ARCEDECKNE, ARCHEDECKNE, ATHIL, ATHYLL, ATHOL, BELL, BIRREL, BIRRELL, BLACK, BUCK, COLEY, CREE, CREWKER, CRIPPS, CRIPS, DAVIS, DONALD, DRUCE, GREG, HAGGES, HARDIE, HENRY, HONE, JARDELAY, LAURENSON, LAURISTON, LEATHAM, M'CUBBIN, M'DOUGALL, M'GREGOR, M'HARDIE, M'KELLAR, M'KELLOR, OAKELEY, PARTHERICHE, PARTHERICKE, PLOTT, RICE, SAUNDERSON, STRANGFORTH, STRATFORD, TREGOS, TRENT, WINGATE
family crest: ALDBOROUGH and other families

The crest of Earl of Aldborough, Viscount Amiens, and Baron Baltinglass, (Stratford), Ireland. Other families using the same crest are Amond (Sco), Arcedeckne or Archedekne, Athil, Athill, Athyll (Eng and Sco), Athol (Sco), Bell (Sco), Birrel and Birrell (Eng), Black (London), Buck (Hunts), Coley, Cree (Sco), Crewker, Cripps and Crips, Davis (Hants), Donald (Sco), Druce, Greg, Hagges (Sco), Hardie (Sco), Henry (Derbs), Hone, (Glouc.), Jardelay, Laurenson (Sco), Lauriston (Sco), Leatham, M'Cubbin (Sco), M'Dougall, M'Gregor (Sco), M'Hardie (Sco), M'Kellar (Sco), M'Kellor (Sco), Oakeley (Salop and Wales), Partheriche and Parthericke (Middx), Plott (Berks. and London), Rice (Iri.), Saunderson, Strangforth, Stratford (Glouc.), Tregos (Eng.), Trent, Wingate (Sco).
The crest is described as "A dexter arm. In armour, embowed, in hand a scimitar, hilted and pommelled".
The crest has been found on an unmarked "Old Sheffield Plate" lidded tureen.

family crest: ALDBOROUGH and other families

"A YEAR per MONTH"
FROM SHEFFIELD ASSAY OFFICE REGISTER
- 1797 -

This table is obtained from The Book of Entries of the Names, Places of abode and Marks of the several Silversmiths and Plate Workers residing in Sheffield, or within twenty miles thereof, who are required to send their goods to the Assay Office, lately established in the Town of Sheffield by an Act of Parliament lately passed in the Thirteenth Year of the Reign of King George the Third intituled:
An Act for appointing Wardens and Assaymasters for
Assaying Wrought Plate in the Towns of Sheffield
and Birmingham

YEAR 1797

Sheffield Assay Office: hallmarks register
Sheffield Assay Office: 1797 hallmarks register

Closing our January 2019 edition of ASCAS Newsletter I hope you have appreciated its content.
Your comments, suggestions and advice will be of great help.

My thanks to Francois Costes, Marivic Limcaoco, Robin Gibson, Katherine Palthey, Pang Bo and Clive Taylor 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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