#Italian #Silversmiths #Cappelli #Orlandini #24FI
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The firm of L. Cappelli & C. Orlandini registered their maker’s mark on May 6 1935.
The business premises were located at Via Sant’Agostino 5, Firenze.
VIA SANT’AGOSTINO 5, FIRENZE (FLORENCE)
This doorway has probably remained very much unchanged since Carrado Orlandini walked through it.
It may be a very ancient doorway, since the building is of great age.
This substantial building still bears the coat of arms, which is affixed in a central location above the first floor windows directly in line with the door.
Medieval buildings in Florence can be seen sporting the coats of arms representing the Florentine Republic, its guilds, and the most influential families.
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ANCIENT COAT OF ARMS STILL INSITU
VIA SANT’AGOSTINO 5, FIRENZE (FLORENCE)
VINTAGE SOLID SILVER COMPACT MIRROR
A rare & splendid fully hallmarked silver compact mirror which was crafted in the early 1940s by Corrado Orlandini.
The compact is a first rate example of Italian bright-cut engraving.
Acanthus leaves have been fashioned to frame the stand of an ornate urn. The whole of the outer case is embellished with florid acanthus leaves and forget-me-not flowers. Such romantic imagery!
Acanthus leaves symbolise everlasting life / longevity.
Forget-me-not flowers represent deep love and respect.
Breathtakingly beautiful!
The compact is hallmarked in multiple places. These marks include the maker’s mark of 24 FI which is seen just above the silver purity mark of 800.
HALLMARKS STAMPED ON TO YOUR COMPACT
Top left – 24 – Maker’s identifying number
Top middle – the fasces symbol
Top right – FI denoting Firenze (Florenze)
Bottom – 800 – denoting .800 grade of silver
The mirror bezel is also stamped .800 into an oval cartouche.
The mark of this firm is 24FI.
Italian fascism is associated with political parties led by Mussolini: the National Fascist Party (PNF), which governed the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, and then the Republican Fascist Party (PFR), which governed the Italian Social Republic from 1943 to 1945.
During this time many new laws were set in place.
In 1934 statutes required silver marking to adhere to these rules:
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.800 & .925 silver were marked with an oval cartouche.
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Each silversmith was registered with a number.
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The maker’s mark was a prescribed & standard form in the shape of a lozenge with cut sides.
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The maker’s mark contained the silversmith’s number, the fasces mark and the province in which the silversmith was registered.
ANCIENT ROMAN FASCES SYMBOL
The fasces mark is an ancient Roman symbol showing an axe tied with birch sticks.
In Ancient Rome, the fasces were a symbol of a magistrate’s authority. The axe symbolised the power to enforce the law. The word “fascism” is derived from the Latin word fasces. The fasces also symbolized the unity of the people (represented by the bundle of rods).
Unlike the United Kingdom most countries do not have a date letter hallmark.
However, when we understand the hallmarks stamped on to your vintage compact mirror we are more able to date it.
Your compact was crafted before the end of WWII.
It is not known when the firm ceased to trade, due to illness/death of the partners.
Browse solid silver compact mirrors.
Please note that although we spend many hours each month updating or compiling new work for our historical blog section which is free to view, we do not offer an appraisal, identification, valuation or dating service to members of the public.
We do not purchase stock from private sellers.
However, each purchase from our store is shipped with a lavishly illustrated history which dates the item and details the history of the item and that of the maker.
