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Hello,

I recently bought this charming piece, which comes with a dark ruby glass insert and may be a toothpick holder or a condiment jar of some sort. The marks are very unusual and I can't find them anywhere. The first mark is round with a lion (or some other large quadruped!) with the letter P below it (could also be an F) and possibly a small C above it (it's not raised enough to polish up well). The mark is somewhat similar to an old mark for Florence, except for the letter(s). The second mark (the maker's mark?) is even more perplexing. There is no mark stating the silver content. Any help regarding the age and origin of this piece would be greatly appreciated!

Hi folks,

I wonder if anybody can help me with those two marks on the serpent silver item??? Even an hunch or a suggestion as to where I might find those marks would be extremely helpful.

Thanks!

MLF

Hello. Does anyone have a suggestion as to the origins of this piece - or indeed its function? Even a hunch would be helpful!

Thanks,

MLF

I'd guess that it was made c.1900 in continental Europe. Don't know what it is.

Miles

Hello, the Stuttgart town mark of ca. 1820/1830 (running animal with letter) looks a lot like this one. As to the other mark - no clue. My first thought at seeing this item - a mustard pot. In that case the lid would be missing. Best wishes, Bahner

Thank you both for the very useful suggestions!

Your piece - I think probably a mustard pot, too, but dimensions would help - is 19th century Italian. The lower mark is an anvil and was used on small items of second standard (.800) silver made in the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia from the time of Napoleon's conquest to the unification of Italy, 1812-1872. The "P" with a lion(?) is the maker's mark; this circular form being quite typical for this area of Italy. Unfortunately, this maker is not listed in Donnaver & Dabbene's "Argenti Italiani dell' 800", probably the best general reference on 19th century Italian makers.

Based on the Neoclassical style, I think it's fairly early in this period, 1830 or so. I think it's probably from one of the large centers: Venice or Milan. Look for another small pictoral mark which should be there to indicate the assay office and thus narrow down the city of manufacture.

Hello and thanks ever so much for sharing your insights! The item is about 8 cm tall and 5.5 cm from rim to rim. The glass insert is 6.5 cm tall - but when it is in place, it protrudes some 7 mm above the rim, so perhaps it is not the original insert (it does look old though)?

There is no sign of there ever having been any lid. Nor can I find any assay mark, although someone has scratched an R at the bottom of the piece - could this be significant?

Thanks again and Merry Christmas everyone

MLF

My image host, Putfile, is acting up these days and the photos of the mustard pot have mysteriously disappeared. Anyway, here they are again, thanks to a different image host. Please excuse the grainy quality of the marks. (BTW, I no longer believe the glass insert is original - it seems much too tall.)