DESCRIPTION |
Two Irish silver Fiddle pattern sauce ladles of identical shape and identical weights with matching crest engraving. However, the hallmarks differ. One has just three marks: a well struck and clear Hibernia, a well struck and clear crowned harp and a poorly struck/rubbed maker's mark of I C. The other has four marks, all poorly struck/rubbed: readable Hibernia, readable crowned harp, rubbed but just readable letter Q for Dublin 1736 and a maker's mark crowned of C? I had expected these pieces to date to the end of the eighteenth century. The early date of 1736 has thrown me. Pickford states that the earliest known Fiddle pattern in the British Isles is a tablespoon by Isaac Callard from 1739. Given the Irish/French relationship at the time it is conceivable that Fiddle pattern reached Ireland from France earlier than it reached London. I do not know and I have no specialist knowledge of Irish silver, so CAVEAT EMPTOR. |
| SILVERSMITH |
IC for Joseph Cullen (possibly, mark rubbed) circa 1765. Crowned C? for Charles Leslie (possibly, mark rubbed). |
| DATE or HALLMARK |
1736 (provisionally) for the Charles Leslie ladle. |
ASSAY OFFICE or COUNTRY |
Dublin |
WEIGHT in GRAMS |
94 |
| SIZE in INCHES |
length: 7 |
SILVER STANDARD |
.925 sterling silver |
OVERALL CONDITION |
good, no repairs or erasures. After cleaning I noticed a slightly discoloured patch near the bowl rim, 7 o'clock, second image, that I believe to be a slight flaw in the silver and not a repair as it does not show on the other side. I suspect that the bowls have had some bumps removed in the past as I can detect slight hammer marks to the back of one. |
MAJOR FAULTS |
none |
MINOR FAULTS |
bowls a bit thin and springy. |
| BACK | Price £125 | SOLD | Item Number: M2838 |
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