Australian Silverplate
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 9:42 pm
I have a stunning signed silver horse head wine bottle stopper bearing a hand-scripted maker name on the side at the baseline, along with the small initials 'AI' or 'A1' (Silverplate) in a different location on the piece (on the nose section of the bridle). They are the only marks it bears. This piece was purchased within Australia and I believe originated here.
The maker name is hand scripted on the piece and if I have interpreted the letters correctly reads: 'C. J.', followed by a small 'v' in superscript to the immediate left of what may be the letter 'I.' (NB All full stops are included in this mark as presented here.) This is followed by the surname 'Calero'. The capital 'C' in this signature has been made more elaborate with the bottom end of the 'C' being extended horizontally below the entire surname, effectively underlining it.
It is a beautifully crafted piece of great skill that deserves a heritage.
I've tried other avenues of research without success.
Recently I found an Australian link to the surname through the name Charles Alexander Manning who travelled to Peru and had family estate and commercial interests in Peruvian silver mines (pre returning to Australia in 1854). Charles Alexander Manning's first two wives were the daughters of the Governor of Peru, a Spanish Grandee named Calero. The Calero link pops up again in a 1924 obituary for Victor Louis Calero Manning of Davilak WA (one of many Manning family properties which included Azelia Ley Homestead). The family business interests included breeding horses and at some point, a vineyard.
I may be wrong, but I believe high quality silver and silverplate was crafted in Western Australia, and also that the mark A1 was a mark used here in Australia to denote quality silverplate, so... I'm thinking it was either made in Western Australia anywhere from the mid 1800s to early 1900s. Perhaps the maker was C. J. vI Calero, or perhaps the maker just placed their initials C.J., and the superscript 'v' next to the letter 'l'' (or oblique line?) is a reference to something made specifically for the Manning family in recognition of the 'Calero' family link?
I suppose it could even have been purchased or made in Peru during a later trip by Charles Manning and brought back here (I don't think South America used the A1 mark to denote local silverplate, but due to his Peruvian links, could have been a piece that was commissioned in Peru for the Australian market).
Beyond that I'm having great difficulty and may be barking up the wrong tree.
I'm hoping someone here may have some tips or pointers. I'm happy to attach photos if needed and to contribute them to the library/references here.
Reference:
' ... Charles Alexander Manning arrived in 1854. He had spent many years in Peru supervising the family’s estate and commercial interests, especially export and silver mining pursuits. Fourteen (14) of his twenty one (21) children were born to his first two wives who were the daughters of the Governor of Peru, a Spanish Grandee named Calero. After his arrival in the Colony, Charles married for the third time to a young girl named Matilda Burkett in l855. This marriage produced seven (7) more children. ... '
URL http://www.azelialeymuseum.com.au/history/
The maker name is hand scripted on the piece and if I have interpreted the letters correctly reads: 'C. J.', followed by a small 'v' in superscript to the immediate left of what may be the letter 'I.' (NB All full stops are included in this mark as presented here.) This is followed by the surname 'Calero'. The capital 'C' in this signature has been made more elaborate with the bottom end of the 'C' being extended horizontally below the entire surname, effectively underlining it.
It is a beautifully crafted piece of great skill that deserves a heritage.
I've tried other avenues of research without success.
Recently I found an Australian link to the surname through the name Charles Alexander Manning who travelled to Peru and had family estate and commercial interests in Peruvian silver mines (pre returning to Australia in 1854). Charles Alexander Manning's first two wives were the daughters of the Governor of Peru, a Spanish Grandee named Calero. The Calero link pops up again in a 1924 obituary for Victor Louis Calero Manning of Davilak WA (one of many Manning family properties which included Azelia Ley Homestead). The family business interests included breeding horses and at some point, a vineyard.
I may be wrong, but I believe high quality silver and silverplate was crafted in Western Australia, and also that the mark A1 was a mark used here in Australia to denote quality silverplate, so... I'm thinking it was either made in Western Australia anywhere from the mid 1800s to early 1900s. Perhaps the maker was C. J. vI Calero, or perhaps the maker just placed their initials C.J., and the superscript 'v' next to the letter 'l'' (or oblique line?) is a reference to something made specifically for the Manning family in recognition of the 'Calero' family link?
I suppose it could even have been purchased or made in Peru during a later trip by Charles Manning and brought back here (I don't think South America used the A1 mark to denote local silverplate, but due to his Peruvian links, could have been a piece that was commissioned in Peru for the Australian market).
Beyond that I'm having great difficulty and may be barking up the wrong tree.
I'm hoping someone here may have some tips or pointers. I'm happy to attach photos if needed and to contribute them to the library/references here.
Reference:
' ... Charles Alexander Manning arrived in 1854. He had spent many years in Peru supervising the family’s estate and commercial interests, especially export and silver mining pursuits. Fourteen (14) of his twenty one (21) children were born to his first two wives who were the daughters of the Governor of Peru, a Spanish Grandee named Calero. After his arrival in the Colony, Charles married for the third time to a young girl named Matilda Burkett in l855. This marriage produced seven (7) more children. ... '
URL http://www.azelialeymuseum.com.au/history/
