Puiforcat

post-1838 Minerva hallmark, silver-gilt, with Ceres mask handles

Acquired from Puiforcat, 1961

Gunter Sachs, Mein Leiben, Munich, 2005, p. 89, where it is illustrated being used by Salvador Dali and Brigitte Bardot;

Exhibition Catalogue, Leipzig, The Gunter Sachs Collection, Museum der Bildenden Künste, 2008, p.194.

The iconic photograph of Dali, Bardot and Gunter Sachs with the offered Lot was taken in 1967 in the Paris home of Gunter Sachs and asides from being reproduced in the books above was featured in exhibitions in Lepizig, Moscow and Hamburg.

Marked on body, cover and finial, the foot rim stamped 'PUIFORCAT - PARIS', finial slightly bent, otherwise excellent overall condition. For further queries please contact the Silver Department directly on +44(0)207 293 5100
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Puiforcat, the well-known French silversmiths and cutlers, opened its first cutlery works in the Marais district of Paris in 1820. Emile-Louis Puiforcat, son of Félix-Amand Puiforcat and his wife, Jeanne (née Fuchs), who was married in 1845 to Joséphine Françoise Stern, was the original driving force behind his firm's development. The expansion into the manufacture of silverware followed, Puiforcat entering his first mark (EP, 'un canif de bureau,' an office penknife between) from 18 rue Chapon, Paris, on 3 November 1857.

Although Emile-Louis Puiforcat died on 22 February 1883, his mark continued to be used by the firm until August 1927. By then his son, Louis-Victor, author of L'orfevrerie Francaise et Etrangere, had been head of Puiforcat for many years and under his guidance the firm became known for its high quality reproductions. These reproductions were copies of antique pieces in Louis-Victor Puiforcat's own collection. This soup tureen and cover is no exception: the original, dating from 1795/97, bears the mark of the Parisian silversmith, Antoine Boullier and was probably included in the important Loan Exhibition of old French silver held in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, in 1926 (The Times, London, 3 May 1926, p. 7). The Puiforcat collection, comprising nearly 400 items, was eventually sold at the Galerie Charpentier, Paris, in 1956 (Frank Davis, 'A Page for Collectors. Early French Silver Changes Hands,' The Illustrated London News, London, 28 January 1956, p.140, fig.4).

Jean Puiforcat (1897-1945), whose striking works in silver in the Art Deco style have become iconic examples of decorative design of the 1920s and '30s, was the son of Louis-Victor Puiforcat.