Portuguese Silver

[joho]

Hi - This is a large and heavy silver basting spoon 13 inches long. Hallmarked with a crowned P and a makers mark FPT. The decoration makes me think it dates from mid to late 19th century. I am presuming it is Portuguese, but I may be totally wrong. Any help wouyld be appreciated.

Thanks John

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[silverport]

Basting spoon from Porto, Portugal, 1877-1881; maker’s mark not registered.

Hello joho

Your basting spoon seems to be assayed 1877-1881 in Porto.

Assayers mark for Silver was registered in 1877 in Porto for the assayer Guilherme Guedes Mancilha [vol. I, p. 14, nr. 133]; be used until 1881.

In a more similar letter type »P« is mentioned a pseudo-Porto mark [vol. I, p. 269, nr. 2569 A], used in Brazil (but that mark is in parts reconstructed).

I tend more to state, correct is the first possibility.

By lack of a registered maker’s mark, as shown here, it’s also possible that the basting spoon could be made in Brazil?

Reason for this uncertainty is:

For Porto itself are nearly all maker’s are known — 1877-1881 could in principle be seen of “recent time”.

Brazilian makers actually are known only a few — these are most times only known by their maker’s mark.

»TRP« mark is unique in her radial symmetry - no one is mentioned in this kind of composition. There aren’t often, in relation to all marks, registered maker’s marks with 3 or 4 capital letters in a kind of upper and lower row.

Some times, it seems for yet unknown reason, that the capital letter »R« is already engraved as here shown, only with a half right side down stroke.

Always first capital letter stands for the initial letter of the first given Christian name, in this case »T« = maybe e.g. »Tomás«.

Already the second capital letter could be initial of mothers or fathers family name — but also a second given Christian name?

Third (and fourth) capital letter could be initial letter of father’s family name.

In this case it could be e.g. (fantasy) »Tomás Ribeiro Pinto« or »Torcato Rodrigues Perreira« ...

Resume: Maybe made in Porto or surroundings by a silversmith »TRP« - assayed in Porto 1877-1881.

It would be nice if you would give permission to the Portuguese National Mint, to register and use yours pictures. I will forward these to the Portuguese National Mint, in Lisbon, for their Fifth Edition.

Source: «Marcas de Contrastes e Ourives Portugueses» ISBN 972-27-0773-6. Vol. I (XV century — 1887). 4th ed. (Reprint 3rd ed.) 1997, Lisbon.

Kind regards silverport

[blakstone]

The 4th edition of Marcas de Contrastes reads the maker's mark as "FPT" and attributes it to Francisco Pinto Teixeira, see mark #1559, p. 160, and the addendum on p. 336; see also mark #2697, p. 286.

[silverport]

An important find and corrections by »blackstone«.

Hello »blackstone«

A huge mount of » Thanks! « for you on yours find and corrections!

Mark nr. 1559 is a real radial symmetric one, including the cartouche (like the later »Gondomar« type).

Until yet I saw this radial symmetric letter combination in a not radial symmetric cartouche, in form of a hart's shape. Before I've learned, that always in Western culture of initials, the start point for to could read a mark, and find back in registers and guides is »first top left initial«. So I've looked only to »T« registered, and not to »first left initial« = »FPT«.

Yours finds and augments are very correct!

So we could state now as resume:

The basting spoon maker's mark is attributed to »Francisco Pinto Texeira«, and made between 1877 and 1881.

The assay mark is that of Porto's assayer Guilherme Guedes Mancilha; registered in 1877, in use until 1881.

Thank you!

Kind regards silverport