German Ivory Statuette w/ Helmet Dragon Finial Mounted on Silver Pedestal

I'm an intern at the Milwaukee Public Museum. This head is quite a mystery to us as all the info we have is in the catalog books it is German and 18th century. On the silver pedestal is a maker's mark/coat of arms we can't identify. Any and all info is appreciated (date, what it is, who would make it, etc.). My assumption so far is that it is of an Eastern European, possibly Ottoman warrior as the helmet look like a Chichak helmet, or one with a lobster-tail/duckbill modified back part.

 

Oh, that I should have such problems.

Far be it from me to ask for bigger pictures, but I think you are going to need them (especially of any marks) for people to be able to help.

And the size of the item might help.

Could it be a chess piece?

 

Certainly looks like a chess piece.

Debora

 

To me, the dragon on top might indicate that this is a representation of a particular person and that the dragon is part of the story or myth related to the person. That's all I have right now.

I realize that some helmets from countries like Japan could include dragons just as a general motif, but this doesn't appear to be that type of thing.

 

Here's a better shot (hopefully, taking pictures on my iPod) of the mark. It's a floral pattern around a shield with an X on it, and each of the four sections on it have stuff we can't make out. It's also 4 inches tall and 2 1/2 at the base

 

What is the black lettering on the lighter part? Is that original to the piece, or added later?

 

It's added for cataloging.

 

Think your dating may be off by a century. Has a solid Victorian look to it; 19th century more likely. But key to identifying is coat of arms which could provide you with provenance.

Debora

 

Some good sized, sharply focussed, well lit pictures with no background clutter would halp a lot. The socle base does look more Victorian than anything else.

If you hit 'Full Image' when uploading pictures they are a lot easier to see. Image size about 7 or 800 pixels across would be good.

 

Can you lightly polish the silver? You may find more marks if you do. If you are going to polish, NO TARNEX!!!!!!!!!!

 

When in doubt, start with your fingers. Rubbing with a finger removes tarnish. If you find a rough spot on the piece, rub that first. It may be a mark. If I were guessing age on this, I'd be thinking more 1890 than 1790. He's very Art Nouveau indeed.

 

No way to tell what it is without larger pictures.

 

& I don't think the museum would take kindly to an intern polishing their stuff !!

 

I think the bust could be Siegfried the dragon slayer. In 19th century he is depicted sometimes with a dragon on his helmet. I agree that this is 19th c, 2nd half.

 

His face reminds me of Bismarck, maybe it is him shown as Siegfried...

 

Hopefully you can get your hands on a camera that can take super sharp focused close-ups.
The sooner the silver people can see the mark, the sooner the mystery can be unraveled.

 

What lauragarnet says. If the pedestal is silver, there should be maker and control marks. With the resources people here have demonstrated, a clear photo of any such marks could give a lot of info. The armorials look heraldic. A clear photo might help to ID that, but family crests have proven more difficult to find online.


No polishing. Please, no polishing.

 

That's why I suggested a finger. Thumbs are useful for more things than texting.

 

Here's a much clearer photo of the mark on the silver. Didn't polish or anything, just got a better quality phone than what I have.

 

That does look like a coat of arms, not a maker's mark. The top is cut off. Can you get a pic that includes the entire crest?
This is much better focus though. Thanks!