Burnell and Rowe

Description

Here we have a rare example of silverware from the 19th century Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in Southern Italy. This two handled repousse bowl on a low base is in the classical style with leaf decoration around the lower part of the body, acanthus scrolls around the middle part and star decoration below the rim.

The bowl is made in Naples in 834 grade silver by Gennaro Iaccarino and dates to the 1830s/40s. Iaccarino was active in Naples between the early 1820s and around 1850 but the mark on this bowl was only introduced in 1836 so it has to date after that.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was formed after the Napoleonic Wars by the merger of the Kingdom of Sicily with the Kingdom of Naples, which was officially also called the Kingdom of Sicily, hence the Two Sicilies. It existed from 1816 until the unification of Italy in 1860/61.

Condition is generally good although the bowl is very slightly out of shape and the foot is a little flattened in places. Overall it has survived its 180 years or so of life pretty well and still looks very attractive. Please make sure to view all the photographs.

The bowl is 10.5cm / 4.1ins in diameter, 16.2cm / 6.4ins from handle to handle and 8.4cm / 3.3ins high to the top of the handle. It weighs a very substantial 190.2g / 6.7oz of solid silver.

The hallmarks on the underside of the base are nice and clear, although a little of the makers' mark is rubbed. The key mark is the head of Parthenope (the original name of Naples) facing right with the letter N and the numeral 8. This shows that it was made in Naples (in Sicily the head faces left), the N means that it is a domestic piece and not an import and the 8 means that it is 834 / 1000 grade silver. The makers' mark is G. Iaccarino for Gennaro Iaccarino, although the initial I and A have rubbed away. There is also a third mark but we haven't been able to identify this.

Shipping in the UK is £10 by Royal Mail Special Delivery Parcel Post, which includes cover for the value of the bowl.
Overseas customers, please ask us about shipping costs to your country before making a purchase.