Lot 342A

19th C. French 8-Pc Serving Set - Minerve 950 Silver & Silver Plate

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Lot 342
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19th C. French 8-Pc Serving Set - Minerve 950 Silver & Silver Plate
19th C. French 8-Pc Serving Set - Minerve 950 Silver & Silver Plate
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19th C. French 8-Pc Serving Set - Minerve 950 Silver & Silver Plate

Estimate: $500 - $750

Starting Bid: $250

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT (In Progress)
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Western Europe, France, ca. 1850–1950 CE. A composite suite of eight French serving implements drawn from two distinct services, their handles answering one another in complementary registers of taste. Four slender-handled pieces, struck in the rococo revival idiom with cartouche-topped stems above foliate collars, are wrought in 950/1000 silver; the remaining four, with fuller baluster and twist-turned handles, are silver-plated. The working ends delight in their fretwork: serving blades, forks, and bowls pierced and engraved with sprays of flowering willow, blossoms, and trailing leaves, the openwork lightening each form while it ornaments it. Such implements answered the genteel demands of the French table, the pierced bowls draining preserves and berries, the broad blades lifting fish or pastry. Assembling solid silver and fine plate within one ensemble reflects the practical economies of a well-appointed household. Size of largest (silver-plated preserves knife): 7.3" L x 1" W (18.5 cm L x 2.5 cm W); silver quality: 95%; total weight of four silver implements: 128.5 grams.

The four solid-silver pieces carry the helmeted head of Minerva ("Minerve casquee") enclosed in an octagon, the French guarantee mark for 950/1000 fineness adopted in 1838 and still the standard for first-title silver. Their maker's mark, "PDR" with a star set within a lozenge, identifies a registered French silversmith, the diamond-shaped poincon reserved for manufacturers and master craftsmen. The four plated pieces are stamped "Metal Blanc," the French term for white-metal flatware finished by electroplating, together with an "EB" maker's mark divided by a spade or sword device. That the two halves derive from separate services, one solid silver, one plated, is plainly told by their differing marks and handles. The blending of poinconned argent and metal blanc was common in late nineteenth and early twentieth century France, where households augmented prized solid-silver pieces with affordable plated companions in matching taste.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection

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Item # 203341

  • Condition: Very Good. Some bending to bowl of one of the silver-plated spoons.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000