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Collectibles-General (Antiques)/Pewter container, heavily engraved
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Question
Hello,
)
I am seeking information on this piece. I've owned it for several years and I love it but I haven't yet been able to find any relevant information or a date. The medallions on either side contain engraved bust portraits of "Ottocarus I" and "Leopoldus I." The top of the lid is marked "Prob Zien" which I know means pewter but after that, I'm stuck. The engraving (rocker or wrigglework) is wonderful and the container is nearly covered, even the bottom and on the body that is covered when the lid is on. I'd appreciate any information.
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Hello Connie,
Sorry to be slow replying.
What an interesting thing - I've never seen one quite like it. The basic object appears to be an ice cream pot. These were used as the central part of ice cream making machines in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. They would hold the cream, and be surrounded by ice, then rotated while a stirrer gently agitated the cream. As functional objects, they were never decorated, except sometimes with inscriptions suggesting they were part of sets. The engraving on yours appears to me to be recent. So I think someone has taken a simple ice cream pot and decorated it to appear as a more important piece.
Probzinn means something like 'good pewter' in German, and suggests the pot originates in German-speaking central Europe.
Leopold and Otto were Holy Roman Emperors.
Hope that helps.
Martin
www.antique-metalware.co.uk
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Martin G Roberts
Expertise
Pewter of the 19th Century and earlier from the British Isles and Ireland. I can comment on origin, date, rarity, and value. I cannot give detailed information on 'art' metalware, Art Deco, Art Nouveau or Arts & Crafts metalware. See my website for more information: www.antique-metalware.co.uk.
Experience
A collector for twelve years and a dealer for seven.
Publications
Journal of the Pewter Society
Pewter Society Newsletter
Bulletin of the Pewter Collectors' Club of America
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