Embossed and engraved silver coffee pot
Silversmith, probably Agostino Natoli
It measures 14.17 in (36 cm) high x 10.23 in (26 cm) x 5.51 in (14 cm)
and weighs 2.76 lb (1.252 g)
State of conservation: few signs of use and some slight blemishes.
The large silver coffee pot has a round mouthpiece with a markedly everted rim, on which hinges a domed lid with very full molded pod shapes; a closed bud surmounted by a small sphere serves as a knob. The polygonal neck descends and widens into molded elements that come together, with larger pods, at the point where it is attached to the body. The body in turn is united to a well-shaped foot, which ends in a flat base with a vertical rim.
From the body rises a spout with a circular mouth accented with a thick rim. An angled loop, made of ebonized wood, is applied to the neck by means of a double-cone element having a sphere at its center; it ends in a silver cone connected to the body of the container.
The marks can be seen on the edge of the foot:
1) Crowned eagle, in flight explained with the head turned to the left, surmounting the letters of the abbreviation "RVP" (Regia Urbis Panormi) in Roman characters separated by a dot; territorial and guarantee mark used from the end of the XVIII century to the beginning of the XIX century.
2) DDM89; Mark for the year 1789 of the Consul of the Silversmiths Diego Di Maggio (in charge from 1789 to 1796).
3) AN and illegible symbol; Mark of the silversmith, probably Agostino Natoli documented since 1763.
Reference bibliography for marks:
Maria Concetta Di Natale, a cura di, Ori e Argenti di Sicilia, dal Quattrocento al Settecento, Electa 1989, pp. 4, 303 and 377.