This is the last article I have in my "reserve" for future
publications.
Next month the newsletter will be published without any article
or, possibly, I delay its distribution until new articles will
be available for publication.
My appeal for aid is to the mass of potential authors who could
contribute to the diffusion of ASCAS newsletter writing about
their small or large collection sharing with others (anonymously
if necessary) their knowledge, their passion and their
researches.
It's the 15th year that ASCAS reaches every month your mailbox,
but without your help I fear that soon I will be forced to cease
publication of the newsletter.
DON'T LET ASCAS DIE
Thanks in advance for your support.
Giorgio Busetto
David McKinley presents:
Three Decorative Spoons
It seems that the humble spoon has, like grander plate, been
accepted universally by silversmiths as the ideal vehicle for
artistic expression. Whereas, however, European silversmiths
were happy to produce decorative objects of spoon form which
were never intended to be used as such, English silversmiths
appeared intent on maintaining the utility purpose of their
products however heavily they decorated them.
The first illustration is of what is called a "berry spoon"
although there was probably no such spoon ever produced so that
the name is unlikely to be found in the pattern books of makers'
workshops. This type of spoon was adapted from some other spoon
and the type of decoration is almost exclusively confined to the
Victorian period....
click
here
Welcome to new ASCAS members:
Karen Chapman - USA
Philippe Schilovitz - France
Elaine Pacheco - USA
Piero Eduardo writes:
... I have a calabash gourd & meerschaum pipe with silver mounts
hallmarked 'AD without frame', Birmingham Assay Office, date
1908.
I need your help to identify the maker.
Piero Eduardo
The silversmith is, presumably, Auguste Dreyfus, 15-16
Featherstone Street, London.
Dreyfus entered hallmarks in Chester as 'pipe manufacturer' in
1885, 1888 and 1890.
Other marks were entered in London as 'pipe & stick mounter' in
1888, 1900, 1902 and 1910.
The hallmark entered in 1902 was cancelled in 1910 and is quite
similar to the mark of Birmingham.
For tobacconists and pipe makers' marks see my website at
http://www.silvercollection.it/dictionarytobacconistA.html
Giorgio Busetto
William Isbister writes:
...Do you have any idea whose mark this is please? (J C a bee
between)
William Isbister
Possibly the maker is
Jean Cheroux, rue Sainte-Avoye, Paris
Mark entered 1827
This maker used a mark JC with a bee over a star
Robert Massart
Debbie Rindge writes:
...Please help identify the maker's mark on this set of 12
British sterling knives.
The only marks are the lion passant and the maker's mark B D in
cursive script.
Thank you,
Debbie Rindge
The maker is Dru Drury II, silversmith registered in the
category "hiltmaker / knifehaft-maker". The mark was entered in
London on 16.12.1767.
Dru Drury II (born 2 February 1725) was the son of Dru Drury I.
He was apprenticed to his father in 1739, free 1746. His mark
was entered in 1767 with address in Wood Street (possibly
following the death of his father). In 1777 he is described as
haft-maker at Strand. Dru Drury and Son were active at Strand,
Corner of Villiers Street (1781-1793).
His elder son William Drury (born 1752) was active as goldsmith
and jeweller at 32 Strand in 1796, by which time his father had
apparently retired (information obtained by Grimwade).
Giorgio Busetto
Jose Luis Muñoz writes:
The mark belongs to Matilde Espuñes y Bagués, granddaughter
of Ramón Espuñes and daughter from his first marriage and first
child of Luis Espuñes. Matilde Espuñes learned the trade from
his father and at his death she established her own business
creating the firm M.Espuñes with an important staff of
goldsmiths and high production of silverware. After the Civil
War (1936-1939) M.Espuñes entered in partnership with the firm
Meneses creating the Unión de Orfebres (Union of Goldsmiths) and
became part of Rumasa group that went out of business in the
third quarter of the 20th century. Matilde Espuñes used the mark
M / cup / E for silver; the figure of an alpaca for cutlery and
M.E. for silverplate.
Jose Luis Muñoz
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
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This month ASCAS presents an ancient
advertisement of:
WILLIAM RYLAND & SONS
Birmingham
William Ryland & Sons was active in Birmingham
as manufacturers of "plated & brass, coach & coach
harness furniture, bridle bitts, stirrups, spurs,
plated knifes & forks, spoons & ladles, snuffers,
skewers, etc".
The London address of the firm was: 128 Long Acre.
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"A WORD per MONTH"
In this column we
present an abstract from a page of the "What is? Silver
Dictionary"
courtesy of
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BIB HOLDER
The baby bib holder is a silver device used to hold
the bib used to protect the clothing while the child is
eating.
It consists of a short chain with a clasp at its two
extremities. Sometimes the clasps have figural shapes as
animals or cartoon personages.
Sterling silver bib holders were a feature of American
society and most of them have been manufactured in the
USA in the first half of the 20th century.
A precious gift by relatives and friends on the occasion
of the birth of a child.
more |
"A SILVERSMITH per MONTH"
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RICHARDS & BROWN, SILVERSMITHS IN LONDON
GEORGE JOHN RICHARDS - GEORGE RICHARDS & EDWARD BROWN -
EDWARD CHARLES BROWN
The firm was established in
1843 at 26 1/2 Seckforde Street, Clerkenwell by George
John Richards (c.1817 - 1876), son of William Richards (silversmith,
Citizen and Goldsmith).
George John Richards obtained his freedom of the
Goldsmiths' Company by Patrimony in 1839 and entered his
first mark on 16 May 1844.
In 1850 he moved to 35 Whiskin Street and in 1853 to 20
Red Lion Street, Clerkenwell.
In 1857 George J. Richards entered in partnership with
Edward Charles Brown registering a conjoined mark on 13
July 1857.
Edward C. Brown was an apprentice (1845) of George J.
Richards who obtained his freedom by Service in 1852.
Another apprentice was William Comyns (1849) who
obtained his freedom in 1856....
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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BOTTLE TICKETS
by Jane Stancliffe
Victoria & Albert Museum
(no date)
(from the introduction of the book)
We have all seen or heard of the wine or decanter label,
so popular with collectors, and for some it may
therefore appear misleading to entitle the book "Bottle
Tickets". However, for much of the eighteenth century,
when they first appear, wine and decanter labels were
known as bottle tickets. An early reference to the
bottle ticket occurs in the Gentlemens' (Clients')
ledgers of the fashionable goldsmith George Wickes, when
on 9 May, 1736/7, Lord Lymington was charged £ 1.10d for
'six Bottle Ticketts'.
Contemporary gazettes begin to refer to 'labels for
bottles' in the 1770s but not until the 1790s were they
established as wine or decanter labels. Their function
was to identify the contents of a bottle or decanter,
which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces,
toilet waters or cordials; all these types are described
and illustrated in this brief survey. The bottle tickets
in the Victoria and Albert Museum number some seventeen
hundred, the greater part of the collection left by the
late Mr PJ Cropper in 1944....
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Closing our NOVEMBER 2015 edition of ASCAS Newsletter I hope
you have appreciated its content.
Your comments, suggestions and advice will be of great help.
My thanks to Piero Eduardo, William Isbister, Robert Massart,
David McKinley, Jose Luis Muñoz Debbie Rindge 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
# 138 November 2015
