French? cup

[Jag]

Here's a piece I'll call a cup since It doesn't have a handle, though I hope there may be a more descriptive name for it?

I think it is French because of the Minerva. There may even be a number (I think number one?) under her chin. But she is in a five petal field (which doesn't match the French mark on the website), and I can't find any "C.W" French maker. The double stamp is below the top rim; the bottom mark (it's another Minerva, though hard to see) is on the top of the base directly below the other marks (it is not underneath the base, as it would be on American silver). I'm hoping someone can correct all my incorrect assumptions and give me a clue when it was made, who made it, where it was made, and what it was used for. Or some subset of the above. Thanks!

[dognose]

Hi Jag,

Check out the Austrian marks at: http://www.925-1000.com/Faustria_menu.html

Trev.

[Jag]

Trev,

Thank you! Yes, of course, it is Austrian. So now deciphering the mark to the right of the Diana (not Minerva) is the next step. So here's the best I could do with the incredibly small size of the mark. I think it is an "A" - with the left leg slanted but with the right leg almost straight up and down? Or could it be something else? If it's an "A", then it would be Vienna. At which point the next step would be to look for a C.W silversmith in Vienna somewhere from 1872-1922. Does anyone have a reference for that?

I know that in the 19th century there was an explosion in silver pieces designed for specific purposes. Can anyone make a guess as to what the design of this "cup" may have been used for? Wine?

[joris]

The C.W mark will be that of Karl (or Carl) Warmuth, most likely junior. Karl junior began working alongside his father in 1897, and Karl senior retired in 1901, so there seems to be a period during which the mark may apply to either of them (although this may also be merely an ambiguity or error in the reference I am checking.) In any event, Karl jr. continued operation until after the change of markings in 1924, and always used a mark similar to this one.
Possibly the object is a kiddush cup, but I am certainly no expert.

[Jag]

Thank you so much for your help! I found a Warmuth silver piece in an Israeli museum, so clearly he/they were making Jewish ceremonial silver. The site also has some kiddush cups of similar design by other makers, so I think you've nailed it both for maker and probable usage. (LInk to museum here: http://www.imj.org.il/imagine/galleries ... sp?case=36).