19th Century Russian Silver and Coconut Ladle
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Rare 19th century Russian silver and coconut ladle hallmarked 84 silver, 1848, Joseph Sosnkowski assay mark, featuring a semi spherical coconut shell bowl with engraved silver rim and zoomorphic eyes set to lip, the handle connecting to the bowl via a three clawed support and terminating with a hollow conical handle, total weight 189gm, length 26 cm, bowl width 11.5 cm
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- Engraving - The method of decorating or creating inscriptions on silver and other metal objects by marking the surface with a sharp instrument such as a diamond point or rotating cutting wheel.
- Assay / Assayed - Assaying is the testing of a metal, most commonly silver and gold to determine its ingredients and quality. In Britain, once an item of silver or gold has been assayed, a mark is stamped on it, certifying its purity. Known as hallmark, it derives its name from the Guild Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, who recieved its Charter in 1327 giving it the power to assay and mark articles of gold and silver.
- Zoomorphic - Objects made having the shape, form, or likeness of an animal. For example, the Hindu god Ganesha has the head of an elephant.
The term is also applied to furniture made from animal parts. Examples are chandeliers, hallstands and chairs made from deer antlers and umbrella stands, ice buckets and other objects made from an elephant's foot. - Hallmarks - A mark stamped on articles of precious metals in Britain, since the 14th century, certifying their purity. It derives its name from the Guild Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, who recieved its Charter in 1327 giving it the power to assay (test the purity) and mark articles of gold and silver.
The hallmark will consist of several marks, including the:
- silver standard mark, indicating the purity of the metal. Sterling silver is .925 pure silver.
- the city mark indicating the city in which it was assayed eg London, Birmingham, York etc.
- the date mark, usually a letter of the alphabet in a particular font and case,
- a duty mark, indicating whether duty had been paid to the crown, and only in use from 1784 to 1890
The piece may include an additional mark, the maker's mark, although not forming part of the hallmark, will be located in the vicinity of the hallmarks.
Sometimes silver plated items will bear faux hallmarks, often confusing those not familiar with silver markings.
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