Nieznany złotniczy znak miejski Gdańska z czwartej ćwierci XVII w.

Abstract

Goldmisth’s hallmarks, particularly city ones used within the territory of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, have been the object of interest of numerous scholars since the late 19th century. The reason being that not only do they facilitate the attribution of definite historic silverware pieces to a definite goldsmithery centre, but they are also helpful when the results of stylistic analysis prove too wide too define a more precise time of their creation. Puncheons used to stamp city hallmarks on silver, as is proven by the preserved historic pieces, depending on the intensity of use and degree of wear, were in service either for a shorter time: a year or several years, or a longer time, sometimes some dozen years. For this reason it is hard or almost impossible to ascertain which Guild’s Elder, alternating yearly, authorized to stamp the city hallmark, actually marked the product. The problem disappeared only when in Gdansk the duty to stamp a peculiar countersignature, namely an additional control sign, was introduced in 1730. The hallmark presented in the paper is a previously unrecorded version of the city of Gdansk’s hallmark, whose use can now be dated to 1683–1688, though it was in actual use for a shorter time. However, already with such-defined chronology of the use of hallmarks Nos. 5A–E, a more precise dating of historic pieces of Gdańsk goldsmithery is possible.