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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 Continental / International Silver
 Need help with identification of silver marks
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| Author | Topic: Need help with identification of silver marks |
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LauraCRM Posts: 5 |
posted 02-22-2009 08:45 AM
  
[26-1809] Hello! I own a silver Hanukkah menorah with the following marks on one side of its base. I would appreciate any help and/or advise I could get from the forum members. Laura IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 02-22-2009 09:00 AM
Hi Laura and welcome to the forum! Could you please add a bit more information to your question so we can be of better help? Another photo, of the entire menorah so we can see the style and way it is made would be very useful. Also, is there any information or history to it that you can give us as to where this may have come from such as is it a family heirloom and from what part of the world did your family come, or was it more recently purchased and if so from what part of the world? And finally, it would be wonderful if you could please introduce yourself a bit and tell us about your interest in silver and finding out more about this particular object. We are just a small group of people who enjoy looking at and discussing silver and a brief self introduction by new people is our tradition. warm regards, [This message has been edited by Kimo (edited 02-22-2009).] IP: Logged |
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blakstone Posts: 493 |
posted 02-22-2009 03:17 PM
Somehow your photo got flipped and is appearing revesed, i.e. in mirror image. Your menorah is Polish, from the city of Breslau (Wroclaw). The face above “45” is the the Breslau mark for 12 lot (.750) silver: the head of John the Baptist above the year of manufacture, 1845. The “S” is the mark of Breslau assay master Leberecht Fournier, who served in the post from 1839 until his death in August 1849. The center mark is both upside down and worn, but reads “KOROCK”; it’s the mark of silversmith Carl Friedrich Korock (ca. 1808-1858; Master 1834). Yes, please do tell us how you came abut this piece and by all means post a photo of it! IP: Logged |
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LauraCRM Posts: 5 |
posted 02-22-2009 03:52 PM
Thanks for noticing, blackstone. You were right. The image was reversed. I have replaced the picture. I'll upload pictures of the menorah and reply to kimo's message in a little while. Laura IP: Logged |
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LauraCRM Posts: 5 |
posted 02-22-2009 06:59 PM
Hello Kimo and Forum members, I have uploaded two pictures of the hanukah menorah lamp (I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures): Height 66 cm (26 in). It´s marked with Polish silver marks, as seen in the first picture (marks gracefully identified by Blackstone, see above.) It can be disassembled. I inherited this wonderful piece from my mother who was an avid, sophisticated antique collector. She purchased it about 50 years ago in Montevideo, Uruguay. It belonged to the antique collection of Dr. Emilio Reus (1858-1891) from Spain. Although I am actually a scientist, I have inherited my mother´s passion for antiques... as well as a portion of her collection, including several silver pieces. I have always been curious about this menorah and its origins. I was happy to find this Forum and I am sure I´ll be learning a lot from it. Laura
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 02-23-2009 12:18 AM
Laura, that's a beautiful menorah! Do you use it for Hanukah? I would love to see a closer picture of one of the oil cups. Is that little tube (?) a support for a wick, or how does it work? IP: Logged |
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silverhunter Posts: 704 |
posted 02-23-2009 05:33 AM
What a wonderful piece it is. I have one just of copper it's standing in the shadow of yours but both bring the real light. And about the mark you got an answer of a specialist I didn't know about it. Greetings Silverhunter IP: Logged |
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LauraCRM Posts: 5 |
posted 02-23-2009 02:58 PM
Thanks, Polly! I am glad you liked it. We have never used it. Actually, we are not Jewish. I often wonder what the menorah would look like when used in accordance with true Jewish tradition. Here is a close up of one of the oil cups. The little tube holds the wick. I don't know what purpose the small holes on the tubes serve. Perhaps to keep the wick in place by using pins? Just a guess. I hope someone can help us to decipher that... Warm regards, Laura
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 02-23-2009 04:40 PM
Very interesting! I don't know exactly how those holes work either--maybe some of the other members do? Could it have something to do with letting air in so the wick burns better? Or allowing oil and water to reach the wick at different levels, so that the lamp goes out when the oil is all burned, without burning the wick down to the bottom and making a mess of the lamp? I've used an oil-based menorah with glass cups that are half filled with water, and then oil is floated on top of the water. That way the glass doesn't get too hot and crack. Maybe there's something like that going on here? I'm no expert--though my ancestors were all Jewish, I was raised by passionate atheists. But I do love the menorah ritual. The more convenient kind with candles is commoner nowadays, but there's something so wonderful about old-fashioned oil menorahs, with the rich smell of burning olive oil. The way I always heard the story, the Menorah ceremony celebrates the miracle of the Maccabees, when a Jewish rebel group retook the sacked Temple in Jerusalem. (Forgive me if I'm telling you things you already know!) They only found enough ritually pure oil to keep the lamp burning for one day, but it miraculously lasted eight day, until they could make more oil. How your menorah would look depends on which night you're talking about. Hanukah lasts eight days. On the first night at sundown, you would say a prayer and light the central lamp, the shamash, then use the shamash to light the rightmost lamp (with another prayer). On the next night, you light the shamash and the two rightmost lamps, from right to left (more prayers). On the third night, the three rightmost, and so on until the eighth & last night, when all nine lamps are blazing. So there's a wonderful buildup of light over the course of the holiday. The menorah is not supposed to serve any secular purpose--you're not supposed to use the light to read by or do chores. And you're never supposed to blow out the lamps; they have to burn themselves out. I don't think it would be disrespectful to light it at Hanukah even if you're not Jewish, but if it makes you uncomfortable or clashes with your own beliefs, or if you don't want to take an atheist's word for what would offend religious people, maybe you could invite a Jewish friend to light it next Hanukah. I bet it looks amazing with its lamps lit. Wicks should be easy to find if you wanted to try it. If you don't have a Judaica shop in your area, you could just do an online search for menorah wicks. IP: Logged |
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