Description
These exceptional antique German silver centrepieces have a circular rounded receiver onto a shaped stem and circular domed base.
The main stem of one centrepiece is embellished with a fine cast figure in the form of a male with long wavy hair grasping a shepherds crook and a female holding in her hands a floral festoon to the other, each standing barefoot on a plain circular plinth; these characters pertain to the 2nd Century novel written by Longus, 'Daphnis and Chloe'*.
Each impressive figure is surmounted with an impressive receiver ornamented with pierced and embossed scroll and leaf designs incorporating alternating horned and bearded grotesque masks and panels displaying a variety of scenes of a youthful nude figure lounging in a rural setting, with a village in the background.
The lower portion of each receiver is encircled with a fine palmette band above an embossed and chased decorated lobed petal design and petal decorated knop.
The receiver of each centrepiece retains the original glass bowl.
Each bowl is embellished with impressive etched grape and vine decoration below the undulating flared shaped rim, in addition to a star cut motif to the underside.
The bulbous portion of each base is encircled with leaf bearded mask motifs on a matt background, with a pensile fabric designs also floral and foliate designs to the nadir.
The knop to the bases are encircled with chased panelled and mask decoration identical to that of the receivers.
The domed spreading lower portion of each base is embellished with further palmette decoration.
The hallmarks struck to the base of each impressive centrepiece include:
Silver quality/purity mark: .800 (800/1000)
Pseudo-Hallmarks: Unidentified**
* Daphnis and Chloe is the romance story of two children raised together herding flocks for their foster parents Lamon/Myrtale and Dryas/Nape. Their relationship develops as they are taught about love and separated by various suitors.
** Hanau pseudo-marks were not registered with an administrative office and no records exist to check them against; the identification of some pseudo-marks are attributed to comparison and probability.
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