Hello -
W
We have a pair of candlesticks that have been in the family for many years. These were owned by some wealthy ancestors in NYC - the husband’s family was from Madieria, and the wife’s was from the Netherlands, both some years before.
The candlesticks may have been purchased between 1820 and 1860, or May have been passed down. The hallmarks do not appear to be British, and I cannot find an American set of marks that match.
The crown-over-cross does not appear to be Dutch, German, or Portuguese. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Eddie
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“Dutch Dolphin mark, and Dutch pseudo marks
The Dutch dolphin mark; the 1859 duty mark for new unguaranteed objects of national origin. This mark was used on all new silver objects below legal standard of fineness, those with non-precious metal additions, and on new heavily gold or silver plated objects, as long as the average precious metal content after melting with the base metal was at least 250/1000. It was also struck on rejected objects which had been submitted at lowest standard of fineness. In that case the maker had to choose between destruction or unguaranteed marking. This mark was sometimes also mistakenly used on old and foreign objects. Dolphin mark used from 1859-1893 and valid from 1859 till 1953.
viewtopic.php?t=32028”
But…
https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=198020&hilit=dolphin#p198020
https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=163700#p163700
“…The lozenges marked in red belong to silversmiths from Perugia, Gaspare Bartolelli and Gaetano Rancini…”.
And, BTW, whole item photo, please.
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Thank you, Bart!
The dolphin and crowned cross are exactly like the ones on the candlesticks. The original owners in our family were merchants - Francis Barretto married Ana Maria Coster, the eldest daughter of Henry A. Coster, in 1824. Both sides of the family were active in the late 18th century and later. Here are some photos of the candlesticks. They have been in storage for decades, and need a serious polishing!
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Yes indeed. The Francis Barretto (or Barretto or Barretto, spellings differ a bit) is Francis Antonio Barretto, father of the Francis Barretto (born 1794) who worked for Henry Coster and then married his daughter Ana. Francis inherited 7 ships from his father by the age of 27. We have his business ledger with records of his ship captains appointments, cargos to buy and sell, etc.
Regarding polishing, we bought a can of Hagerty spray polish on the recommendation of a very kind local dealer in silver. Would polishing the candlesticks reduce their value?
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If I were to sell the candlesticks, I would leave them as is. I would definitely include a historical description.
There remains an explanation for the creator of the candlesticks…
Silversmiths from Perugia, Gaspare Bartolelli and Gaetano Rancini.
Are my guesses correct?
Wow!
I am not 100% certain about the maers hallmarks, but I believe this is correct.. I will not polish them.
I am I bit confused by the listing from Cambi Casa d’Aste - is this an apparently identical pair of candlesticks with a suggested price of €500-€609 in 2014? These certainly look identical.
Thanks!
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Also, if the ha hallmarks show they are from the Kingdom of Sardinia, why is the maker’s mark from Perugia? Unless they were originally from Sardinia??
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Francis Barretto, c. 1830, in New York. Ana Maria Coster Barretto, date unknown. Both portraits in our family collection.
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