posted 01-07-2006 05:38 PM            

actual menorah picture

Murray

posted 01-07-2006 10:55 PM            

I took the liberty of cropping and enlarging your hallmark photo (hope you don't mind!) I don't think it is Russian. The number "800" indicates the silver content in parts per thousand. The Russians used a different marking system and their most common purity was 875/1000. The letters to the left are probably those of the maker, and they look more Latin than Cyrillic - a clearer photo would be necessary to tell for sure.

Since you say it was made by a German artisan, that is probably the country of origin as well. I do wonder, though, why it does not have a city mark (look again for crests, animals, etc.). Poland is also possible. If it is Polish, it was probably made in the area of Poland controlled by Germany before WWI. The most common German silver was 800, and the marking system used the number itself. Polish silver smiths (or German smiths in Polish areas) would have been required to use the standard marks of the country to which they belonged (there was no modern Poland until 1919). Do you have any other reasons to believe the piece might be from Poland (style, family records, etc.)?

Some one more knowledgeable about continental silver may be able to identify the maker's mark and give you an approximate date for the piece.

Good luck,
Tom

posted 01-08-2006 05:16 PM            

Salmond is correct: the letters are upside down. They are a script "FW" for Fredrich Wilhelm III, King of Purssia at the time that your menorah was made. German silver can be very hard to date, but you lucked out. It seems that this particular mark was in use only for part of 1809. Later that year it was replaced by an Eagle, part of the Prussian coat of arms. Such limited use of the mark probably had something to do with the Napoleonic Wars. The French emperor defeated Prussia at Jena and established the Confederation of the Rhine, which lasted until 1813. The French invasion awakend Prussian and ultimately German nationalism. Replacing the initials a rather ineffectual soverign with a national symbol would have made sense.

The kingdom of Prussia, centered on Berlin/Potsdam, included vast areas of what is today Poland, which until the holocaust had one of Europe's largest Jewish populations. A Polish/Russian stylistic look would not have been unusual. However, that is mere speculation. You may wish to send or e-mail photos of your menorah to the Spertus Musuem of Judaica in Chicago. They have a large collection of menorahs and might be able to help further. Here is the their web page: Spertus Museum [spertus.edu/museum/ - link gone from the Internet]

Anyway, these are my conclusions, but I will feel much better if Sazikov and/or Blackstone can corroborate them. They are the real experts on continental silver.

Tom

PS Thanks for sharing such a fun piece. Could you post an enlarged shot of the Menorah?

posted 01-09-2006 10:51 AM            

Just to be clear, you are saying Prussia required the remarking of old silver? Was this so that it could be taxed? Why the remarking?

Murray, do consider e-mailing a photo of the menorah to Spertus. They have a large collection of Judaica and may be able to identify your piece from its style.