Hallmarks on silver

The Rijksmuseum is working on a database of Dutch silver marks coupled to an automated recognition system. In the future, unknown marks can be compared through a portal with those in the database.

About the project

As early as the 14th century gold and silversmiths in the Low Countries had a well-organised system for assaying and marking silver. That system gave the master, the guild, the city and the province a guarantee as to the precious metal content of the object. For this research project we will begin with the basics: marks that are known for certain. We will create a database of all the documented, confirmed marks from Dutch silver in the Rijksmuseum collection, at a later stage to be expanded with marks from other collections as well. Subsequently artificial intelligence will be applied: a deep neural network will be trained to recognise marks based on their overall shape.

Aim of the project

In order to make the best possible use of the trained neural network we will be developing a publicly accessible online portal through which users, such as museums and collectors, can upload their own photographs of marks. The network will then start searching for similar marks in the database, together with all the extra information coupled to that particular mark. The predictions made by the network are already 99% accurate. If possible, the date, maker and place of origin of the object can then be retrieved. The database can also be expanded with other types of data, such as technical descriptions, the smithing techniques used and the composition of alloys. In this way the database can become a central hub for the collection of information about silver in a wider sense.

Partners and sponsors

This project is made possible by the Ernst Nijkerk Fund/Rijksmuseum Fund, the Joost Meijers Fund/Rijksmuseum Fund and UBS.