Two-handled silver bowls were used to celebrate childbirth but may have been passed around at other festive occasions as well when brandewijn, liquor distilled from wine to which sugar and raisins were added, would be served from them with a spoon.
Brandy bowls occur mainly along the Dutch Wadden Sea; the northern Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen, and in parts of northern Germany. Outstanding feature are the Groninger brandy bowls with upright vertical ears (handles) and the Frisian brandy bowls with the horizontal lying ears. Even today brandy bowls are frequently made and often in combination with pseudo marks and/or modern hallmarks.
In the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries those brandy bowls were usually octagonal with hand chased (flat chasing) decorative or biblical scenes. During the seventeenth century the oval shaped bowl became in vogue; lobed or with chased and engraved, floral and geometrical bands, leafy tendrils and symbols. The handles or decorated ears were usually cast and improved by chasing.
The presence of alliance crests on brandy bowls suggests that they also functioned as a wedding gift. Rarely has a brandy bowl a lid. In the nineteenth century, all these models have been copied. Sometimes the bowl served for consuming porridge, in which case we call it a porridge bowl. ( Gratitude; Het Zilver Lexicon by Janjaap Luijt , Zilverstudie.nl/J. Schipper)
Herewith an example of a silver Frisian oval brandy bowl with some background information.
The weight 203 grams or 6.5 troy ounces, height 9 cm, spread 26 cm Top 16.8 x 12.4 cm.
Inside bowl a hexagram or Star of David
The mystical drama of the birth of Jesus; now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem’
The queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions and intrigued by reports of King Salomon's legendary wisdom, the Queen of Sheba visits him in Jerusalem, kneeling down with two of her attendants to present him with sumptuous gold and spices.
Often those Biblical themes were based upon biblical engravings like the engravings made by Pieter Hendriksz Schut (1619 -1662) who based his engravings on a famous series of illustrations made by Matthaeus Merian, the Elder. Merian (1593-1650) was a Swiss designer and engraver born in Basel and trained in Zurich. He later settled in Frankfort, Germany, where he eventually inherited the publishing house of Theodore de Bry.
Work the Land and Spread the Word
Detail of a Frisian ear with Putti's
The zig zag marks done by the assayer to check the silver content or silver standard
Finally the hallmarks and maker’s mark.
Clock wise; maker's mark IF for; Johannes Feddema, registered in Leeuwarden from1780-1811. Lion rampant in a crowned shield, guild city mark for Leeuwarden used as of 1779 till 1802.The Frisian province mark; two lions in a crowned shield, to indicate 1st standard or 934/1000 fineness. And the Frisian date letter H for 1785.
Oel.
