Maltese silver ?

Today I found this pair of Maltese silver dishes at a charity shop - marked MO 917 a Maltese cross and F - while I've found out they are silver, I can't find anything about Maltese silversmiths. Would love to hear if anyone knows anything about them .

 

Thanks Davey, I found that too - but I can't find anything about the actual makers.

 

I didn’t see the MO mark with a quick scan through but maybe you can find a thread to follow with this.

https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33204

 

Would this be of any help? There are dates:

MALTA SILVER HALLMARKS (silvercollection.it)

 

IS this what you want from that page?? Screenshot.........

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That's the page Davey couldn't open & I got a screenshot of....but I think Dory's looking for specific info on the makers......

 

Thanks. I didn't try his link because he couldn't open it.

 

impossible to find individual makers.
they had - at least - three different main standards. French, Italian and Arab. besides that Aragonese, German, Spanish...

 

Thanks Patty - I had a thorough look and couldn't find it either.

 

Thanks KikoBlueEyes - I found the same pages, but hoping to find the actual silversmith.

 

Yes, that's right, thank you Aquataine

 

Thanks so much, frustrating though - from what I've seen on coins etc the central pattern seems to be a version of a Maltese crest.

 

the Maltese cross is certainly an official crest for the island.
but the problem is manyfold. the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem - or simply Hospitaller - was very international similar to the Templars. to this day you can see the the houses of the different nations in Jerusalem and La Valleta.
they also brought their silver standards with them, e.g. the old French millesimes (thousands) that were still in use in Egypt till the independence and also shine up in certain currencies in the mid-East, e.g. the Bahraini Dinar that is divided in 1000 fils.
what you needed was a top specialist, but I doubt that your items are worth the time and money.

 

Thank you Fid, you certainly have an amazing knowledge. I'm not concerned with their value, just curious.

 

Hello

I came across your post and photos on this website and have registered to reply to your query.

Since the hallmark is MO, then the silver tray was manufactured by my late father, Edward Madiona who was based in Malta and active in his trade from circa 1944 up to 1989. He sadly passed away two years ago.

The hallmark bears the Maltese eight-pointed cross, and the F is that of the then Consul of the hallmarking service in Malta at the time housed in the Monte de Pieta in Valletta.

The coat of arms with the five crescents on either side is that of Grandmaster Manuel Pinto da Fonseca. He was Portuguese and the 68th Grandmaster of the Order of St John of Malta from 1741 up to his death in 1773.

The tray was made from 917 silver probably since the design was hand chiseled. The 917 silver is slightly stronger than 925 (sterling silver) and less likely to perforate.

Some info about the actual manufacture of the tray, which we used to refer to as chased trays – it was made from a flat disc and pressed in a mold with a hand fly press. It was then hand chiseled from the front to bring out the design. The mold was usually made of a bronze base while the top part made from lead. I have kept some of my dad’s tools including probably the chisels that formed those trays!

I have currently started researching items which my dad had manufactured and would like to ask you which country you are from just to locate where such items have ended up.

I am glad that these trays caught your attention and I do hope you enjoy them very much. Best regards.

 

Hello @CM_MLT64 & welcome to the forum!!

Thank you for updating this post & adding very interesting information about your father.

You may want to send @Dory64 a private message through the forum using the "inbox" link at the top right of the page.

I have also tagged her but according to her profile page, she has not signed in since March 4th. The forum sometimes experiences lapses in notifying members when their posts get updated but I usually do get an email telling me someone has started a "private conversation" or responded to one I started with them.

I am sure she would love to know more about her items & would welcome your message.

 

Sorry for your loss...........

 

Thank you for your reply and I shall do so. Regards