Colonial Silver Emu Egg Casket by J. Henry Steiner

J. Henry Steiner, superb Colonial silver mounted emu egg casket…
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J. Henry Steiner, superb Colonial silver mounted emu egg casket with kangaroo finial, Aboriginal warrior hunting an emu, Sturt's desert pea and imposing spread eagle on reverse, Adelaide, South Australia, circa 1870s, stamped 'H. Steiner' with Queen's head and lion passant, 24 cm high, 25 cm wide, 17 cm deep. Provenance: The Edward Clark collection, Melbourne. Johan Heinrich Steiner was born near Hanover, Germany in 1835. In 1858 he emigrated to South Australia and commenced business on his own behalf around 1860, on the corner of Rundle and Charles Streets in Adelaide. He anglicised his Christian names and traded as Henry Steiner. His work shows great variety and inventiveness. He made many impressive centrepieces, epergnes and claret jugs, with the emphasis on emu eggs. He sold his business in 1884 and returned to Germany, so his Australian output is limited to approximately 25 years.

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  • 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.
  • Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.

    Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.

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