Featured My first silverware: Early Victorian salver

Hello everyone,

this is my first post in the silverware forum and hope my question isn’t too stupid!

I just bought this English sterling silver salver, hallmarked in 1846, London. The maker is identified as George Ivory, there is a thread on another silver collecting website which has interesting extra information related to his business:https://www.silver-collector.com/t/looted-silver-from-the-summer-palace/9788


it’s 20cm in diameter, 370 grams in weight. Theirs a badge in the center- head of an antelope, with thistle in its mouth and three stars on its collar. Also the chased pattern includes female faces, various birds, and something looks like torches? Is there anything I should know about my salver?

Also, do you think there’s any need to XRF test it when I received it? Does the hallmark guarantee it’s 100% sterling silver with absolutely no exceptions? Again, I hope this doubt doesn’t sound too silly, but I always have paranoid when comes to $$$ piece like this one.

Thanks for any comment!

 

PS: I think at some point the seller polished it and here’s a more recent photo of the hallmarks:

 

The mullets could be dolphins (sort of). Maybe one of the crests of the Freer family?
https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~sfreer/coafreer.html

In general, antelopes symbolize (spiritual) purity.

 

European assay marks are reliable, as long as they are actually marked in Europe, which includes the UK.
Unfortunately there are fakes from China, but this looks like a genuine period piece, it has real natural wear.

 

Interesting information, you think that represents a real family with some sort of title or whatever? Since it’s not an official coat of arms forgive my lack of heraldic knowledge.
Also since it has thistle in its mouth, does that suggest Scottish origin? The salver itself was hallmarked in London

 

it’s also fascinating to think how assay offices can accurately test all those pieces to see if they meet the standards, and never failed through the centuries !

I also found out that even real Chinese export silver pieces sometimes bear fake British marks maybe they copied them because that looks more convincing to British consumers?

Link here :https://chinese-export-silver.com/understanding-chinese-export-silver-makers-marks/

 

The crest is more of a family symbol, like a Japanese Mon. Families that are not aristocratic can also have family crests. For instance, in Scotland every clan has a clan crest. The families related to or derived from a clan have crests that are derived from the original clan crest.
Btw, no one expects you to know the ins and outs of the complicated European heraldry system. Most Europeans don't know either, I certainly don't.

My own family has a family crest, but my ancestors were considered 'patricians', a typical Dutch phenomenon. Patricians were commoners who made sure the town or country was organised, without an aristocrat lining his pockets. Patricians had to seal documents, so they had to have a crest.

The thistle isn't necessarily Scottish, it can appear in crests across Europe. And a London maker doesn't imply the owner lived in London. Well-to-do people commissioned silver from reputable silver makers. Those makers could live in another town. Besides, many rich people from around the UK owned town houses in London.

 

Very cool! I hope we have something similar in China I’m fascinated with both fancy European crests and stylized Japanese mon. We only put a character(family name) on our banners, I think…

 

Exactly! Nothing new under the sun. Advanced techniques make such things easier and faster, but the 'olds' did an excellent job.

True. Adrien has done some amazing research btw, and is a very nice person too.

The Chinese weren't the only ones to copy or fake marks. In Germany Hanau silver is known for its fake marks, but it has become collectible in its own right. And American silverplate also used to use marks that resembled English silver marks.

 

Yes, they are fun and often totally crazy. Below two of my ancestral crests on seals:

First an ancestral crest, but not one I can use. What looks like frog legs on top of a helmet are actually arms in armour holding a fourth fleur-de-lys



The one below is unfortunately very worn, but it goes with my own surname, so I could use it (but don't):

 

well, I won’t be surprised if a ceremonial helmet with arms high up holding something really exists in reality!