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Hello,

Here is a silver candlestick that I believe was made in Barcelona during the 18 century.
Based on the long handle, I suspect it was used for Catholic mass, not for civil purpose - but I may be wrong.



I see 3 marks, that I read :
- BAR under a Maltese cross ? (on the 2nd picture) : probably city mark of Barcelona, 18c., but I could not be more precise
- OX in a rectangle (on the 2nd picture) : hallmark of the first consul marker of Barcelona ? silversmith mark ?
- unidentified mark (on the last picture) : silversmith mark ?





Thanks for your help !

Spanish piece marked in Barcelona, ​​(cross/BAR). The other mark (OX/?) is unknown.

Pieza española marcada en Barcelona, (cruz/BAR). La otra marca (OX/?) La desconozco

Hello Anikopol,

Your candlestick from Barcelona has a design that is very typical of the Catalan area (especially from the Silversmiths’ Guild of Barcelona, and also the Balearic Islands). It is not a religious object, but rather a domestic one, linked to the emerging bourgeoisie of Barcelona, which became increasingly sophisticated during this period and into the early 19th century.

As you mentioned, although the marks are somewhat worn, they can be interpreted quite clearly. The BAR with the Maltese cross is the city mark of Barcelona, and the letters XO you see are the lower part of the abbreviation of the assay consul Francesc Carrutxo (CAR/XO), who held the annual office in 1773 and again in 1780. So the piece must date from one of those two years.

As you know, some models — like this one — were particularly successful and remained in use for an extended period of time.

As for the silversmith, I believe I recognize a fleur-de-lys mark. I myself have a soap ball by this same craftsman, whose name is unfortunately unknown. Some Spanish silver specialists have nicknamed him “The Master of the Fleur-de-Lys.”

I hope all of this is helpful, and I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner.

With warm regards,
Jaume

Thanks, Jaime, for your contribution. Now I can identify him. He's the marker (assayer). CARRUTXO, Francisco, held the position between 1773 and 1779. Bibliography: CRESPO CÁRDENAS, JUAN
The Art of Silversmithing in Ciudad Real, 1621 - 1808. University of Castilla-La Mancha, Faculty of Arts of Ciudad Real, Department of Art History. Doctoral thesis.
Jaime, could you please tell us which piece bears the mark you sent and where it's located? Thank you very much.

Gracias Jaime por tu aportación. Ahora si le puedo identificar. Se trata del marcador (ensayador). CARRUTXO, Francisco, ocupo el cargo entre 1773 y 1779. Bibliografía: CRESPO CÁRDENAS, JUAN
El arte de la platería en Ciudad Real, 1621 - 1808. Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Facultad de Letras de Ciudad Real, departamento de Historia del Arte. Tesis doctoral.
Jaime podrías decir que pieza lleva la marca que has mandado y donde se encuentra. Muchas gracias.

Thank you, Funkel, for your input.

My name is Jaume, not Jaime, I hope you don’t mind the correction.

Regarding the assayer of Barcelona, Francesc Carrutxo, I’d like to clarify something, if I may. As you probably know, the appointment period for assayers was typically annual, although not necessarily aligned with calendar years.

In the case of Francesc Carrutxo, I can confirm, as I mentioned in an earlier message, that he served as cònsol marcador (assayer) in 1773 and was re-elected in 1780.

The images I shared show the marks on what we call in Catalan a taça de broc (known in English as a feeder cup, in French as canard de malade, and in Spanish as pistero). I mention this because these terms don’t always have straightforward equivalents across languages.

The piece belongs to a private collector in Madrid.

A pleasure, as always.

Jaume

Just a small follow-up: I accidentally wrote the Catalan term taça de broc. It should be "tassa de broc" (with double s). These little mistakes happen to all of us now and then!

Thanks again, Funkel, for your work and contributions to the study of Spanish silver.

All the best,
Jaume