French Silver and Cut Glass Caviar/Serving Dish - Antique Circa 1830

This magnificent antique French silver and cut glass caviar/serving dish has circular shaped form onto a pedestal and square base.

This antique silver dish is fitted with an exceptional cut glass body.

The upper and lower portions of the dish are encompassed with impressive French silver mounts embellished with chased lobed stylised leaf decoration.

The magnificent dish retains the original cast handles, ornamented with impressive spiralling rosette and leaf designs to the handpieces and sockets.

The caviar dish is fitted with an impressive hallmarked push fit domed cover, encompassed to the rim with a simplified leaf decorated border.

The cover is surmounted with exceptional cast floral and foliate motif emanating from a cast silver bud style finial; this ornamental motif is detachable, secured in situ via the screw fit finial.

This exceptional dish is supported by an impressive cast leaf decorated pedestal to a swept square base.

The base is encompassed with further chased leaf decoration, reflecting that of the vessels upper rim.

The decoration to the base incorporates two cartouches, one bearing the contemporary engraved initials 'EDCHSV' and the other featuring a coat of arms depicting an escutcheon of three mullets of six points pierced, surmounted with a helm with closed-visor.

The serving dish base is supported by four exceptional cast silver paw style feet, accented with leaf and floral rosette designs.

The hallmarks to the cover and rim of the base include:

Maker's mark: Untraced

Silver quality/purity mark: Mercury, 1 (.950, 950/1000, Paris)

Guarantee mark: Paris (large guarantee)

NOTE: From August 1819 the French silverware hallmarking system was developed to require pieces to be marked with the maker's mark, the mark indicating fineness and a guarantee mark. These continued to be the required range of hallmarks until May 1838, where the head of Minerva mark was utilised opposed to Mercury. This determines the date of the piece as circa 1830.

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Maker: Untraced Maker's Mark

This French silver caviar dish is an exceptional gauge of silver, exceptional quality and in exceptional condition.

The cast and chased decoration is very sharp and the engraved ornamentation is very crisp.

The French hallmarks struck to the underside of the cover and rim of the base are all very clear.

Reflections in photographs may detract from the true representation of this magnificent example of 19th century silverware.

Length across handles 23.5cm/9.25"

Diameter 18.3cm/7.2"

Height 27.2cm/10.71"

67.3 troy ounces/2094.0g (including glass vessel)