Description: Sterling silver large bowl with handles in a beautiful floral, ribbon, and berry pattern and leaf adorned handles, marked Sterling 505 by K & J and logo above company name.


History: The sterling alloy originated in continental Europe and was being used for commerce as early as the 12th century in the area that is now northern Germany. In England the composition of sterling silver was subject to official assay at some date before 1158[citation needed], during the reign of Henry II, but its purity was probably regulated from centuries earlier, in Saxon times. A piece of sterling silver dating from Henry II's reign was used as a standard in the Trial of the Pyx until it was deposited at the Royal Mint in 1843. It bears the royal stamp ENRI. REX ("King Henry") but this was added later, in the reign of Henry III. The first legal definition of sterling silver appeared in 1275, when a statute of Edward I specified that 12 ounces of silver for coinage should contain 11 ounces 2 1/4 pennyweights of silver and 17 3/4 pennyweights of alloy, with 20 pennyweights to the Troy ounce. In Colonial America, sterling silver was used for currency and general goods as well. Between 1634 and 1776, some 500 silversmiths created items in the “New World†ranging from simple buckles to ornate Rococo coffee pots. Although silversmiths of this era were typically familiar with all precious metals, they primarily worked in sterling silver. The colonies lacked an assay office during this time (the first would be established in 1814), so American silversmiths adhered to the standard set by the London Goldsmiths Company: sterling silver consisted of 91.5 - 92.5% by weight silver and 8.5-7.5 wt% copper. Stamping each of their pieces with their personal maker's mark, colonial silversmiths relied upon their own status to guarantee the quality and composition of their products.

Provenance: Lorber Estate, Palm Beach, FL


Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 2.8 | Height(in) = 18 | Width(in) = 10 | Depth(in) = 10

Size of Artwork(in): 15 x 4.25 x 7"


Artist Name: J & K


Medium: Silver


Circa: Circa 1920

Good condition. Has two small chips on interior of bow and two more on inner rim. Some scratches and light scrapes on the footer.