www.925-1000.com

Thanks for your help with identifiying this unknown circa 18th C European (German lowlands?) Silver Medical Bookshield

Silver marks:


Front of Bookshield


Anatomical centrepiece


Peripheral medical instruments


I am really not sure if this is a German hallmark and I'd very much appreciate any pointers you could provide.

Hi,

See: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=55371

Trev.

I put this up here after discusing with the owner and didn't know it had also been posted on the Dutch forum, where Peter
https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=55371 kindly wrote :

<< ... About six year ago I saw this shield for the first time and was asked about these marks. The marks are unknown to the various Dutch experts who looked at this shield. We believe it to be fantasy marks and perhaps used by a 18th century or later silversmith. I have also shown the shield to our German expert who came to same conclusion. Peter >>

Thanks for this Trev and Peter. That's helpful, if a little disappointing. It seems like a substantial piece. What exactly is meant by fantasy marks and what was the purpose behind them? There seems little doubt that this is silver and well made and I imagine must have been done by a silversmith with the capacity to hallmark his work. Would the reason behind inventing marks be a way making the the piece appear older than it was (so if made in say the 18th C, an attempt to make it seem 17th C or earlier), or was there a cost to applying the marks which the maker was trying to circumvent?