Silver Bar

Accession Number2001.009.0006

VesselNuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)

Datecirca 1598 – 1621

DescriptionThis silver bar bears the personal mark of Potosí businessman Lorenzo de Arriola; it was one of 69 such ingots he shipped on Atocha. A central “scoop” on the face of the ingot is a characteristic of ingots produced at Potosí. The scoop was made by the assayer when he sampled the silver to determine the ingot’s purity. Roman numerals once denoted the ingot’s production number, but they are too corroded to read accurately. The “V” mark of Atocha silvermaster Jacobo de Vreder is on one corner of the face, proof that the ingot was formally registered on the galleon.