Emile Puiforcat - French Silver Fish Servers - .950 silver - 1857-1927

A .950 silver set of fish servers by the famous French silversmith Emile Puiforcat. The pieces are beautifully decorated with acanthus leaves and crossed ribbons. The openwork blades are the eye-catchers of these pieces; the extremely fine engravings of reeds, aquatic plants and fish speak volumes about the craftsmanship that this silversmith displayed. Although the maker's mark was in use from the mid-19th century up to 1927, these engravings are quintessentially 19th century, and the set can therefore be dated with some certainty to the period 1857-1890.

Maker's mark: E-Knife-P in diamond for Emile Puiforcat (maker's mark in use 1857-1927)
1st French Minerva for .950 silver
Engraved with Weapon "LL"

Emile Puiforcat succeeded his uncle, Jean-Baptiste Fuchs, a knife maker from Paris (since 1843). He registered his own maker's mark on November 3, 1857 and remained active at 16 rue Chapon in Paris until his death in 1883. His successor used the same maker's mark. The later descendant Jean Puiforcat became world famous during the 1920s and 1930s as a figurehead of silversmithing. Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia called him "the most important silversmith of the Art Deco period".