A Large Canadian Silver Meat Skewer by Judah George Joseph & Co., Toronto, ca. 1860

Description A fine, large Canadian silver meat skewer with lozenge (diamond) cross-section blade terminating in a flaunch-shaped finial with ring. It is in the exact form of late C.18th or early C.19th Irish examples and was probably made to special order. The skewer is engraved with a crest (A Sparrow-hawk with Wings Expanded, Proper) and motto (Virtute Adepta – acquired by virtue), a combination unique to the Paton family of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Maker’s Mark The maker’s mark, an upper case ‘J.G.J & Co’ in a rectangular punch, followed by a pseudo-English group of marks including a lion passant gardant, a left-facing male head, a leopard’s head affronty and a crown in separate, variously clipped, rectangular punches, is consistent with Judah George Joseph & Co. of Toronto. Dimensions & Weights Length overall: 34.5 cm / 13.6 ins Weight: 120 gm / 3.9 ozT Judah George Joseph & Co. Judah Joseph (b. England 1798) was one of the first Jewish businessmen in Toronto, when he settled there in 1838, having arrived in Canada via the United States, later becoming one of most prominent. He had opened a jewellery business at 56 King Street East by 1840. The partnership of Judah George Joseph & Co. commenced when the founder of the firm died in 1857; it was succeeded by Lash & Co ca. 1875.