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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Silver & Gold / No reserve-Grote en zware handgemaakte 1e gehalte zilvere...
Rare handmade silver miniature in the shape of a barrel organ / street organ - commonly also called a crank piano or Pierement. The miniature is particularly beautiful in form and very detailed, handmade. The large crank on the side is the playing crank. With it the organ grinder turned. With that crank you did two things at once: you pumped the bellows full of air and you let a large wooden cylinder with pins spin around. Those pins opened the valves of the organ pipes. The harder you cranked, the louder the music. The small crank on the front - the register/percussion crank. On luxurious fairground- and street organs you not only had organ pipes, but also drums, cymbals and a xylophone on top. With that second smaller crank the organ grinder could switch those extra instruments on and off, or choose another music book / different melody. The round thing on the right should in reality represent the big drum. The whole is made of a high silver content (925/1000) The miniature is very elaborately double-checked and stamped with silver marks: name of the famous Italian silver artist Medusa Oro. This Italian silver house is known for handcrafting exceptionally detailed silver miniatures. Because the Netherlands has very strict standards for silver content, the miniature was previously reinspected by a Dutch silversmith upon import into the Netherlands. After approval it is stamped with the old Dutch (import) silver hallmark mark Z1, which stands for the high silver content 925/1000, first-grade silver. Also bearing the master mark of the Dutch silversmith who performed the re-inspection (see photos) It is a sturdy robust miniature, dimensions are 4.00 by 3.00 cm and the height is 4.5 cm. The Pierement, with its weight of 57.8 grams for a miniature, is fairly heavy (not filled or weighted, so net silver weight) The whole is in excellent, pristine, complete condition for its age of at least 50 years. This rare handmade first-grade silver miniature is, due to its size, its beautiful form, the detailed workmanship and the many charming details, a striking and particularly decorative object. Well packed and insured shipping.
Estimate:£53.79
To the auctionView all items fromCatawikiorSilver & Gold
Estimate:
£53.79
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