A silver Baltic Hanse tankard late 16th century, maker's mark a merchant's mark, struck twice to the base, the cover with a scratched conjoined letters ML Cylindrical slender form, the domed stepped cover with griffin finial, and openwork mermaid thumbpiece, with slender wirework handle, the body with foliate strap work, with ribbed girdle to the lower body with cherub mask, with spreading stepped foot with embossed scallop shell motif, height 25cm, diameter at base 9.8cm, weight 12.8oz. Footnotes: An unidentified maker with similar but not identical merchant's mark is recorded as working in the second half of the 16th century in Oslo (Christiania) by J. Fossburg, Norsk Solvstemper, 1994, no. 236. The name 'Hanse tankard' refers to the Hanseatic Lague, which was formed by coastal cities by the Baltic Sea and operated as early as the Middle Ages, and to the fact that similar tankards were used by wealthy Hanse merchants in festivities in different regions around the Baltic Sea. Provenance Collection from the Hambro Family. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing