Assay Mark says Ivan Vonif, Yestigneev. Yestigneev is a city?
What does the Monogram in the middle of the plate mean?
Date 1865-1890
This has been engraved later, than the plate was made in 1879.
Makers Mark AN
Makers Mark AN
Could anybody help me finding the makers mark of this plate?
Assay Mark says Ivan Vonif, Yestigneev. Yestigneev is a city?
What does the Monogram in the middle of the plate mean?
Date 1865-1890
This has been engraved later, than the plate was made in 1879.
Assay Mark says Ivan Vonif, Yestigneev. Yestigneev is a city?
What does the Monogram in the middle of the plate mean?
Date 1865-1890
This has been engraved later, than the plate was made in 1879.
Re: Makers Mark AN
could the makers mark be - Anders Johan Navalinen?
http://www.silvercollection.it/041russi ... lmark.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.silvercollection.it/041russi ... lmark.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: Makers Mark AN
First of all you should polish the basket. It is a shame having it look like that.
Anyway, let's have a look at the marks. It is possible that AN would be Antti Johansson Nevalainen , which was his real name. Johansson is his patronymic name. The link you refer to gives you an incorrect as well as a misspelled name. It would be nice to have this corrected in 925. I'm not absolutely sure is it Nevalainen's mark but I don't either have a better suggestion. The reason is that there are a few different versions of his marks. In the more common mark he did not use a serif font. Nonetheless, Antti Nevalainen was a Finn born 1.1.1858. He died 15.4.1933 in Finland. He fled the revolution back to Finland. However, he came to St Petersburg in 1874 and became master in 1885. In the beginning he worked with August Holmström but later for Farbergé but he also had his own workshop.
The mark to the left is a Russian official control mark. The 84 is the silver fineness mark indicating the fineness to be 84 zolotnik per pound i.e. 875/1000. The Cyrillic letters ИЕ is as you mentioned the assayer Ivan Jestignejev in St Petersburg, assaying there 1870-1891. You can see St Petersburg's town crest between the initials. It is two crossed anchors and a specter in the middle. The basket is made and assayed in 1879. As always, this is only my opinion, nevertheless, you have a very nice basket.
I If you don't have a clue, it is impossible to know what the engravings mean. Have you bought or inherited the basket or has it been in the family for ages so to say? If it has been in the family some old relatives might identify the engraved initials otherwise it is a pie in the sky.
Anyway, let's have a look at the marks. It is possible that AN would be Antti Johansson Nevalainen , which was his real name. Johansson is his patronymic name. The link you refer to gives you an incorrect as well as a misspelled name. It would be nice to have this corrected in 925. I'm not absolutely sure is it Nevalainen's mark but I don't either have a better suggestion. The reason is that there are a few different versions of his marks. In the more common mark he did not use a serif font. Nonetheless, Antti Nevalainen was a Finn born 1.1.1858. He died 15.4.1933 in Finland. He fled the revolution back to Finland. However, he came to St Petersburg in 1874 and became master in 1885. In the beginning he worked with August Holmström but later for Farbergé but he also had his own workshop.
The mark to the left is a Russian official control mark. The 84 is the silver fineness mark indicating the fineness to be 84 zolotnik per pound i.e. 875/1000. The Cyrillic letters ИЕ is as you mentioned the assayer Ivan Jestignejev in St Petersburg, assaying there 1870-1891. You can see St Petersburg's town crest between the initials. It is two crossed anchors and a specter in the middle. The basket is made and assayed in 1879. As always, this is only my opinion, nevertheless, you have a very nice basket.
I If you don't have a clue, it is impossible to know what the engravings mean. Have you bought or inherited the basket or has it been in the family for ages so to say? If it has been in the family some old relatives might identify the engraved initials otherwise it is a pie in the sky.
Re: Makers Mark AN
Hi Qrt.S,
thank you so much for your answer! I´m happy, that my suggestions were not too bad.
Of course I will polish the basket, but sometimes I have been criticized for polishing antique silver.
Thanks again!
thank you so much for your answer! I´m happy, that my suggestions were not too bad.
Of course I will polish the basket, but sometimes I have been criticized for polishing antique silver.
Thanks again!
Re: Makers Mark AN
You are welcome, but is still is only my opinion.
Anyway, tell the person who has said to you that polishing antiques silver should not happen that it is the most ridiculous opinion to speak out loud. You must polish silver in order to keep it in good condition otherwise the sulfur in the air will make it black and in the long run it will be destroyed. It will be so black that your are not anymore able to have it shine like it should. Silver must always shine like the full moon in August. Just polish the basket and don't listen to stupid arguments.
Anyway, tell the person who has said to you that polishing antiques silver should not happen that it is the most ridiculous opinion to speak out loud. You must polish silver in order to keep it in good condition otherwise the sulfur in the air will make it black and in the long run it will be destroyed. It will be so black that your are not anymore able to have it shine like it should. Silver must always shine like the full moon in August. Just polish the basket and don't listen to stupid arguments.
Re: Makers Mark AN
Hello,
To polish or not to polish silver. Could black silver be beautiful?
Off topic for sure, but I could not resist, the nature of Beauty, Art and Taste and the creation and appreciation of Beauty the Western way versus the Japanese way.
Yugen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aesthetics" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
To achieve the end of yugen, art had sometimes been stripped of its color and glitter lest these externals distract; a bowl of highly polished silver reflects more than it suggests, but one of oxidized silver has the mysterious beauty of stillness, as Seami realized when he used for stillness the simile of snow piling in a silver bowl.
Or one may prize such a bowl for the tarnished quality itself, for its oldness, for its imperfection, and this is the point where we feel sabi. The love for the fallen flower, for the moon obscured by the rain, for the withered bough, is part of sabi.
Unlike yugen (to which, however, it is not opposed) sabi does not find in these things symbols of remoter eternities. They are themselves and capable in themselves of giving deep pleasure. Sabi also differs from the gentle melancholy of aware: here one does not lament for the fallen flower, one loves it.
Tsunoda, et al -- Sources of Japanese Tradition .
In short a matter of personal taste and most of us like silver to shine and we polish and polish and feel stressed.
Regards,
Oel
To polish or not to polish silver. Could black silver be beautiful?
Off topic for sure, but I could not resist, the nature of Beauty, Art and Taste and the creation and appreciation of Beauty the Western way versus the Japanese way.
Yugen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aesthetics" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
To achieve the end of yugen, art had sometimes been stripped of its color and glitter lest these externals distract; a bowl of highly polished silver reflects more than it suggests, but one of oxidized silver has the mysterious beauty of stillness, as Seami realized when he used for stillness the simile of snow piling in a silver bowl.
Or one may prize such a bowl for the tarnished quality itself, for its oldness, for its imperfection, and this is the point where we feel sabi. The love for the fallen flower, for the moon obscured by the rain, for the withered bough, is part of sabi.
Unlike yugen (to which, however, it is not opposed) sabi does not find in these things symbols of remoter eternities. They are themselves and capable in themselves of giving deep pleasure. Sabi also differs from the gentle melancholy of aware: here one does not lament for the fallen flower, one loves it.
Tsunoda, et al -- Sources of Japanese Tradition .
In short a matter of personal taste and most of us like silver to shine and we polish and polish and feel stressed.
Regards,
Oel
Re: Makers Mark AN
Well...OK, what you say about Yugen fits Japanese objects, art and thinking, no problem with that. This basket is, however, an European silver object and it shall shine! Look at it now, it looks like s....
Re: Makers Mark AN
An amendment must be made. It is totally impossible that this basket would be made by Antti Nevalainen. You see there is a conflict between the assaying year and the year AN got his master certificate. AN became master in 1885 but the basket is assayed 1879. Sorry that I didn't notice that earlier. However, a question remains i.e. who is AN? I have no suitable names in my sources. Does anybody have any suggestions?
Re: Makers Mark AN
Hi all -
I have some doubts if this basket is Russian. The style, the handles with grape leaves and the marks (using the punch of Anders Johan Nevalainen )do not convince me. The apparent mark of AN does not fit with the assay mark, a prominent mark AN of an other silversmith is not known. The engraved anniversary date (1865-1890 = 25 years) is on Russian silver mostly expressed by the Roman numerals XXV, not by years. The used Latin letters and the engraving pattern could be also an indication that it is a dubious piece. There exist numerous English ,French or Austrian-Hungarian objects with later added "Russian" marks. Just my opinion...
Regards
Zolotnik
I have some doubts if this basket is Russian. The style, the handles with grape leaves and the marks (using the punch of Anders Johan Nevalainen )do not convince me. The apparent mark of AN does not fit with the assay mark, a prominent mark AN of an other silversmith is not known. The engraved anniversary date (1865-1890 = 25 years) is on Russian silver mostly expressed by the Roman numerals XXV, not by years. The used Latin letters and the engraving pattern could be also an indication that it is a dubious piece. There exist numerous English ,French or Austrian-Hungarian objects with later added "Russian" marks. Just my opinion...
Regards
Zolotnik