Is this a cigarette holder? (Any clues about the maker?)

[bamalama]

Hi,

This is my first post after finding this excellent forum and web site. I have what I think might be a cigarette holder (at least, that's what it was used for when I was growing up!):




The piece is about 4" high and 7" across the base. The glass insert and silver cage detach from the base. I originally thought it was Mexican silver, as it's from the estate of Fred Davis. (He was my great-great grand Uncle.) It has that "look" about it-- Especially the hand-blown glass insert. However, the marks don't look like any Mexican silver piece I've ever seen! He collected all kinds of Continental pieces as well, so it could be from anywhere. Do the hallmarks look familiar to anyone? Thanks in advance for any and all opinions!
Best,
Jean

[bamalama]

Hello again,

I thought I would include an image of the piece in "detached mode":

It's an interesting design!

Thanks again,
Jean

[bamalama]

Hello again, again! After peering at the hallmarks with a magnifying glass (I don't have a loupe!), I can make out the hallmark on the far right is a crown with a VI beneath it. The squiggly mark to the left of that doesn't seem to be the Mexican eagle mark , so I'm not sure this post landed in the right spot after all! ;-) To the left of that is a rectangle with the initials FODA. To the left of that is a mark with two lines: I thought the top line might read 980, but when I flipped it over it suddenly looked like MAX! Underneath that line, there is something like TINET. Does this help at all?

Many thanks,
Jean

[2209patrick]

Hi Jean. Welcome to the forum.

Fred Davis had a big influence on preserving and promoting the native arts in Mexico.
That's interesting that he's your great-great grand uncle.

I had not seen this set of marks before. However, I think your question is in the correct catagory.
Be patient, someone will come along to help you.



Best wishes,
Pat.

[admin]

Hi,
The marks seem to be those used in Mexico City 1791-1881.
FCDA is Antonio Forcada - Assayer
Martinez - Jose Maria Martinez - Maker
Lion Rampant - tax mark
Crowned M - Mexico

I imagine the cage originally surrounded a candle socket and held an open top glass sleeve, basically a hurricane lantern. How does the cage attach to the dish?

Regards, Tom

[bamalama]

Thanks so much for your replies! I can see that what I thought was "IV" could be a lopped off "M," but the crown is different from the your example. (It's more like the Imperial Margarine crown!) Here are some images of the assembly:


It's pretty ingenious-- the rice-shaped knob on the base slots through the rice-shaped hole in the cage, so that it's secure but can twirl around, too. The glass was most likely hand-blown for this specific piece-- it fits like a glove. Apparently Fred Davis often designed objects and had them made for his own use by silversmiths and other craftsmen. Indeed he was a great preserver of the native arts.

I inherited some of Fred Davis's estate through my mom, who (as I mentioned earlier) used it as a cigarette holder. She visited him several times in Cuernavaca, so it's possible she saw the piece "in action." On the other hand, we had what I thought was a lovely copper vase which turned out to be part of a lamp assembly from the Arts and Crafts period, so anything's possible! ;-) Fred Davis died before I was born, I'm afraid, so I don't have first-hand memories of him... just the family stories (and wonderful stuff!).

Thanks again for the information... it does have that Mexican look, so I was really perplexed about the marks.

Best,
Jean

[admin]

Makes more sense now with the photos, I imagine the rice shaped nubbin has been ground down from a candle pricket or spike.
Both crowns are known with Forcada's mark. This is a difficult area mark-wise, the marks were commonly faked - both contemporaneously, to avoid tax payment, and well into the 20th century to mislead buyers. What makes it especially difficult is that the silversmiths were essentially working with the same tools, materials, traditions and skills for the originals and the copies.

Regards, Tom

[bamalama]

Thanks, Tom... I'm not too surprised at the age of the piece (assuming it's really from Forcada), as "Uncle Fred" was quite the collector.

Best,
Jean