An Australian silver set of five fiddle pattern dessert forks…
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An Australian silver set of five fiddle pattern dessert forks by Alexander Dick, Sydney, circa 1830 with engraved script initials Ref for Robert Fitzgerald and pseudo English marks, A.D/lion passant/leopard's head/E/King' head. (5). Provenance: Robert Fitzgerald, Dabee, New South Wales. Richard Evans, the last owner of Dabee and descendant of Fitzgerald. Private collection, New South Wales
circa. A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
fiddle pattern. A design of cutlery, the "fiddle" pattern, is named because the resulting shape is said to to be similar to a violin with the top of the stem as the peg box, the parallel-sided stem as the neck and the dished section (of a spoon) the body. The pattern was popular in Britain from the 1800s to around 1920.
There are several variants to the fiddle pattern: fiddle and thread, fiddle and shell and fiddle, thread and shell.
engraving. The method of decorating or creating inscriptions on silver and other metal objects by marking the surface with a sharp instrument such as a diamond point or rotating cutting wheel.
The buyers premium is an additional percentage charge on the hammer price of the item, imposed by the auction house to cover administrative costs. The buyers premium percentage varies between auction houses, with a range of 12.5% to 22%.
