Pair of Monumental German Hanau Silver Vases in the 18th Century Style

This pair of monumental silver vases were crafted by Jean L. Schlinghoff, circa 1910s, and are among the largest and finest examples of Hanau antique silver we have ever seen.  Each weighs approximately 4 lbs. (We will update this listing with a precise measurement in a few days.) They depict joyous scenes of women and men engaged in drinking and dancing. He was formerly a partner in another Hanau firm, Nerescheimer & Co, in the 1890s. They depict joyous scenes of women and men engaged in drinking and dancing.   In the last half half (and last quarter in particular) of the nineteenth century,  these and dozens of other firms in Hanau became famous for their production of "antique" silver wares in medieval, seventeenth and eighteenth century styles. Unlike other German cities and in England and France where guilds supervised the production of silver, Hanau had a long reputation as a "free-trade" city, and the creation of a wide range of styles (often French and English styles)  and the use of creative marks was tolerated.  Makers used their own marks, and spurious marks (including copies or fictitious maker's marks, assay marks and marks of specific countries and cities) in a fashion which was prohibited in England and France. These wares were not normally intended to deceive and were simply created to celebrate and honor designs from earlier periods and from other countries. One vase carries the Schlinghoff mark of intertwined S, J and L, plus a number 13, and a grapes bunch mark.  The grapes mark was used by other Hanau makers including Gebruder Neumann, so possibly this was produced in partnership with that firm or is simply a decorative mark with no meaning. The 13 indicates the silver purity (13/16 ratio or .8125), in keeping with the silver purity marks used throughout the Prussian/German empire prior to 1886.  Thus, this mark is therefore spurious, for after 1886 the German standard was established at .800 with "800" marks used. The other marks in other locations include the swan, which was used in France as a re-mark for imported goods, so possibly the piece was transported to France soon after its production, or the mark could be simply decorative with no meaning.  The last mark is what appears to be a pine cone which was the city mark for Augsburg in Bavaria, so it seems to have little actual meaning here.