ARMORIAL Antique French Sterling Silver Tea and Hot Water or Coffee Pot

Silver : Antique : Sterling : Holloware : Tea And Coffee

 

A rare and splendid French royal set of silver teapot and coffee or hot water pot, each bearing the crest of a French Marquis... a nobleman ranking below a duke and above an earl or a count. The pots are of heavy .950 silver in the best of French tradition. Each one is beautifully decorated with acanthus leaves and stylized crossed ribbons binding sheaths of wheat, a very popular neo-classical motif from the reign of Louis XVI. The handles are especially decorative, with applied rosettes and more acanthus. More acanthus on the spouts. The lids are surmounted with acorn finials with leaves, while the pots themselves are surmounted on pearled bases. Each pot has ivory insulators on its silver handle. The set was created during the Third Republic, a very interesting period for the monarchy of France, with many of them supporting a republican system. I wonder where our marquis stood on the issues of his times! Sadly, World War I was just around the corner. How rare and fortunate that these survived!

Each piece in this set bears the French Minerve I guarantee mark for the finest standard of silver, at .950 (purer than sterling's .925.); plus the maker's mark for master goldsmith, Charles Barrier (Saglier successor), who traded at 7 rue Réaumur, Paris, from July 1905 to July 1923. The teapot weighs 19 troy ounces (590 grams) and the coffeepot weighs 17.8 troy ounces (553 grams), for a total weight of 36.75 troy ounces (1143 grams) for the pair!

Coffeepot: height c. 9 in. (23 cm.); width from handle to spout c. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm.); body's widest diameter c.5 3/4 in. (14.5 cm.)

Teapot: c. 8 in. (20 cm.); width from handle to spout c. 9 in. (23 cm.); widest diameter c. 6 in. (15 cm.)

Good to very good condition with a scattering of small dings here and there, most of which I have tried to show in a separate photo. These were difficult to capture. As you can see in the large photos, they just are not noticeable when the pots are nicely polished, appearing only as surface reflections. The handles have a bit of wobble but hold strong and pour just fine. The interiors are nice and clean. A rare set of armorial silver ready for use or display. You will feel plush with the royal crests on display on your dining table! Just add your fine porcelain sugar bowl and creamer and your finest china service, and you are ready to entertain like royalty!

Item ID: 0508-02