Featured Silver dog face

Hi,

I found this dog portrait in a box of antique items; it's about two inches tall, has a square loop at the back, and is simply marked "Sterling". Does anyone know what it might be? A pendant, or some sort of buckle, perhaps? It's very nicely modeled but, unfortunately, I have no idea what its purpose might have been!




Thanks,

David

 

looks like a cast silver pendant....nothing more than that.

 

It looks like a pitbull. 2 inches does seem awfully big. Googling dog head/ dog face sterling items, it looks like this one has alot more detail and is much nicer than most that turn up in that search.
I don't know why that long bar on the back instead of a pendant bail. I hope someone else will know.

 

I see that wire used on lots of vintage native jewelry.

 

Thanks for your replies. For some reason, when I first saw this, it put me in mind of horse bridle decorations. The pendant theory seems more plausible, though. Possibly native, eh?

 

I'm not sure about native.....but am thinking not mass produced....more of an artist bench made item..

 

It does look like molten silver was simply poured into an open mold, doesn't it? Not the sort of thing a big manufacturer would do.

 

It reminds me of the decorations on a table piece I saw not too long ago

 

@terry5732 - Attached to a serving piece or something else?

 

It seems like it was a spooner with a half dozen dog heads around

 

Now that you mention it, I recall the piece.

 

Is it somewhere here, on the board? Or are you two going to the same sales?

 

Yeah,that may be it