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Silver Pheasant Whatzit

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Author	Topic: Silver Pheasant Whatzit
chase33 Posts: 362 Registered: Feb 2008	posted 08-30-2009 07:36 PM [01-2757] Hello all I have had this piece for several years and am hoping that someone can tell me what it is and if possible who made it. It is a silver pheasant that is 5 3/4 inches tall and 11 inches long. It is hallmarked on the bottom of one toe with a three-leaf clover (or leaf), .925 and a script capital M. The other toe has what looks like HF. I have tried to capture them in a picture but these are very tiny. The head pulls off and the body is hollow. The wings are hinged for no apparent reason. If anyone has any information I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks Robert IP: Logged
PhilO Posts: 166 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 08-31-2009 02:11 AM I have no idea what it is for but the hallmarks are Chester (England) import marks for 1912. The sponsor, HF, is unfortunately unidentifiable. The mark is in the Chester Assay Office register for about 1910 but, for some reason, no name was associated with it. IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 08-31-2009 12:39 PM I thought these were spice holders. The movable wings are just a nice feature with no function. IP: Logged
chase33 Posts: 362 Registered: Feb 2008	posted 08-31-2009 04:58 PM Thanks for the information. Just to summarize, it was imported in Chester, England in 1912 by an un-identified maker whose mark was HF. Is there any clue as to the country of origin of this piece? I guess it could have held spices but you would have to have alot to fill it up! Those wings just stump me everytime I look at them. LOL Thanks again Robert IP: Logged
salmoned Posts: 336 Registered: Jan 2005	posted 08-31-2009 05:05 PM They obviously carried the instructions, describing exactly how useful this item can be! IP: Logged
PhilO Posts: 166 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 09-01-2009 02:32 AM HF may not have been (and almost certainly wasn't) the maker, which is why I used the word "sponsor" in my reply. The sponsor of imported items was normally just the importer; such companies and people are often described in the Chester Register as "foreign agents" - nothing to do with spying! IP: Logged
chase33 Posts: 362 Registered: Feb 2008	posted 09-01-2009 04:55 PM Hmmmm... foreign agents? spying? Maybe it was used to smuggle secret messages during the war? And the wings were used to distract anyone when they examined it! Thanks for the clarification. Robert IP: Logged
DB Posts: 252 Registered: May 2006	posted 09-01-2009 05:16 PM These birds were made in German lands and brought by importers to England who had to submit them for hallmarking. Mostly used in pairs as table decorations. IP: Logged
FWG Posts: 845 Registered: Aug 2005	posted 09-01-2009 06:04 PM They're also not uncommon in Spanish contexts, and in my experience not always marked. I've also long suspected some production in Italy, although cannot prove it.... IP: Logged
Kimo Posts: 1652 Registered: Mar 2003	posted 09-11-2009 10:19 AM Like DB I have always seen these as table decorations. My guess for the hinged wings is to be able to make it a bit more interesting by offering the choice of displaying it with the wings either up or down. IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1971 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 09-13-2009 06:49 PM Ha! I saw a very similar bird this afternoon at the weekend flea market I like to go to. The one I saw had a hinged head instead of a removable one. The top of the head flipped up to reveal a spout at the beak. It has the same hinged wings. "What are those wings for?" I asked the seller. "That's the handle," he said. He flipped them up, pinched them together, lifted the top of the head, and tilted the bird. "See? That's how you pour the liquor." IP: Logged
chase33 Posts: 362 Registered: Feb 2008	posted 09-13-2009 09:18 PM Hi That is an interesting thought. I haven't tried them as handles but I suppose it might work. I wish they would stay up own their own but I don't think they were made to do that. Thanks for everyone's input. Robert IP: Logged

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