Silver: Age, Origin and Use?

Hammered, unmarked, but tested as silver. Size approx. 3-1/2 x 1-1/2 in.

Your thoughts, if any?

Thank you!

 

Looks like a fancy handled quaich.

 

A goose-stepping bovine that has spent way too much time watching the History or the Military channel.

--- Susan

 

>...spent way too much time watching the History or the Military channel.<

Nothing like quoting myself. This brought back an embarrassing moment... welll just one of the myriads I've had in my lifetime. A few years ago while at the Munich International airport (Flughafen München), Germany, I was trying to find the Lufthansa desk/counter whatever in order to bump my return ticket/reservation up a level. I finally asked a passing couple, definitely Germans, "Where is the Luftwaffe desk?" Needless to say I got the strangest look. The couple quickly put as much distance from me as they could. Geee, I've got to stop watching WWII movies.

--- Susan

 

Needless to say I got the strangest look

I think it was the way you were pointing up at the arrivals board at the same time.

 

I get a Mexican/SA vibe, goat maybe?

 

Quaich cup? Never heard of one of those before. Learned something new today. Thank you!

Not sure what the beast is suppose to be, but it might be a goat or deer.....not sure.

 

So probably German, Mexican/SA?

Middle Eastern maybe?

Any thoughts on what era it dates to?

 

He looks like he has a cartoonish lion nose and tail, hooves,and bull horns. Maybe this site may help???

Medieval Critters
http://www.modaruniversity.org/Monsters.htm

 

The animal may be derived from an ancient bestiary but I see the item as second half of the 20th C.

 

....another wild guess...maybe the "lamb and the lion" all rolled into one????

 

It looks like quaich cups more often have flat handles

I get a Nordic or Dutch feel for it

 

Porringer? https://www.google.ca/search?q=silv...7koASvmoDoCA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=657

 

Not quite the same but why I'm thinking SA or Mexican

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-SIL...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

It's almost certainly South American, most likely Peruvian, but could be from Bolivia or another country - probably early to mid 20th century. The animal is just a naively done bull, and the design is based on older Spanish Colonial silver. At that size, probably intended as a salt or nut dish, or just a little souvenir pin dish...

~Cheryl

 

Thank you all so much for your time and help. Most appreciated.

Appears to be worth nothing more than scrap.

 

Eh - would probably sell over scrap, probably to someone who will try to resell it as 18th century Spanish Colonial...

Don't know how your testing was done, but a good possibility that it's .900 fineness (or thereabouts), though I've seen some similar marked as '925' or 'Esterlina'.

~Cheryl

 

I'd pay a bit more than metal value for it just because the animal is so quirky. I could always slurp my pablum out of it.

 

Sorry Cheryl for such a late reply. Just wanted to say thanks for helping with this item. Most appreciated.