posted 10-16-2007 04:33 PM            

Hello all,

I have recently bought a nice Gallia chocolatier set, the person I bought it from knew little about it so I am attempting to work out who the maker was and when made which is proving a challenge as Ii can't find the same makers mark anywhere.

I hope that it might be an early CHRISTOFLE mark but have no evidence to support this hunch.

I would be very grateful if you can have a look at the marks and share your learned thoughts with me.

Many thanks

posted 10-17-2007 11:56 AM            

If you can add some more information to your first posting I think you may be more likely to receive helpful responses. If you go back and re-read Please Read Before You Post at the start of this page you will see that we ask people who are new to the forum to provide us with some introductory information on their interest in silver and in the particular object about which they have a question. We are simply a group of people who enjoy discussing and collecting silver and as such is good form to introduce yourself and let us know a bit about your interests in silver and why you are interested in this particular set about which you are asking.

posted 10-17-2007 02:43 PM            

A lot of success it's a nice set, enjoy it. So if I understand it, it's a pattern made before 1935 that's for sure, only the right period I can't say and which style this is also. Perhaps it's a remade set of a older pattern?

posted 10-17-2007 04:55 PM            

As on the one hand it seems that Christofle marks contained C.C. up until 1935, yet I am then led to believe this set was produced in 1937.

So I am grateful for the replies but am still none the wiser, Does anyone have any reference to a Christofle mark bearing this fox head and c.c. I have failed to trace any such mark.

Perhaps it is not Christofle at all???

But who if indeed that is the case.

The pot lid is hinged and flips back though a can't see anything that would indicate another part could be inserted.

I was told by a fairly knowledgeable source that it was a chocolate set and that this could be told by the size of the sugar container which is very large, as apparently a lot of sugar was added to the unsweetened chocolate !!!

How true this is I cannot say but it sounded reasonable looking at the size of the sugar.

Thanks again for any further thoughts.

posted 10-17-2007 05:23 PM            

Is this something that you have seen before, I think that I once read this was a trait of early Christofle in the early days of the companies plate production, but unfortunately I can't find anything that tells what marks were used at this time.

posted 10-17-2007 08:06 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Kimo:
Hello Scottag and welcome to the forum.

If you can add some more information to your first posting I think you may be more likely to receive helpful responses. If you go back and re-read [b]Please Read Before You Postat the start of this page you will see that we ask people who are new to the forum to provide us with some introductory information on their interest in silver and in the particular object about which they have a question. We are simply a group of people who enjoy discussing and collecting silver and as such is good form to introduce yourself and let us know a bit about your interests in silver and why you are interested in this particular set about which you are asking. Thanks![/b]

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posted 10-17-2007 09:53 PM            

As for the sugar bowl in your coffee service – the size doesn’t strike me as overly large. Don’t forget that French sugar bowls are generally good sized as the French use sugar cubes rather than granulated sugar for their hot beverages and sugar cubes take up more room. The gilding in your sugar bowl in my opinion is a sign of quality rather than of age. I believe that your service is a coffee service rather than a chocolate service for 2 reasons – the presence of a cream jug and the absence of an opening in the lid of the pot for a muddler.

posted 10-18-2007 05:32 AM            

I am generally interested in all sorts of metal ware and have been collecting a few bits of jungendstil by various makers though i find myself recently straying off into silver and plate items that seem to be of quality but not necessarily related to the nouveau movement.

Hence this set !! that seemed to good to pass as it was very reasonably priced at the flea market i found it at.

I would very much like to be able to confirm that this Fox/leopard head is indeed a Christofle mark as I can't find any reference to this marks usage.

Many thanks to all,
Regards Scott.

posted 10-18-2007 10:47 AM            

Thanks for your input, I did send the question and images to the contact address at the site a few days ago but have not received a reply.

I think the problem may be that its just a general contact email address and probably wont make it through to the museum department. I will update you if I do receive a reply though.
Many thanks.

posted 10-27-2007 12:04 AM            

There is one other use I have run into for sets of this type. I doubt that there ever were silver sets made for this, but I have seen it in use. The main pot holds warmed brandy. The gilt piece contains lemon wedges. The small pitcher contains a pourable honey and water mixture. The brandy goes into a cup, with honey and lemon added. Great for colds and congestions. Or whatever.