Italian Silver Clown, Reg.No.14 Forlì-Cesena

[OldSchool]

I'd appreciate some help identifying the silversmith who made our 925 grade clown figure. He stands about 11 cms tall (excluding plinth) and is very detailed.





On the inside of his coat he bears a round mark for 925 grade silver. Hopefully visible are the small marks across the top: a star, the number 14, and "FO", which I believe is the regional mark for Forlì-Cesena.



On the side of his left leg he is signed, somewhat indistinctly:



At first, with the naked eye, I read this as "Sorini", which seemed to fit well, as the firm of Pietro Sorini and Ilario Casi definitely made clown figures in silver from around 1970 to 1985. They were based in Arezzo, which is on the border of Forlì-Cesena, so they could have had their wares assayed there. However, they were not registered as #14 in that region.

On closer examination, the signature appears to have two initials and the last name could be Norini, not Sorini.

If anyone could identify which silversmith was registered as #14 in the Forlì-Cesena region, it might help.

[amena]

Hi
14 FO is
A.O.R di URBINATI SIGNORINI FILIPPUCCI & SEMPRINI di Urbinati Gilberto Via R Gessi 3 Rimini

[OldSchool]

Thanks Amena. I searched for a reference to that registration number, but couldn't find it anywhere. That also ties in with the signature. Perfect!

[OldSchool]

I have managed to track down the maker, Luigi Signorini, who is now retired, but still "working" in Rimini. His son Marco is also a silversmith, and has taken over the business. Luigi stopped making the clowns many years ago, and Marco now produces jewellery in silver and gold.