Expressive Faune Knife Rest In Silver From The 19th Century, In Very Good Condition Paris 1900

Knife Rests "Fauns", Silver 800, Paris / Vienna circa 1900 Satyr Figures · L. Bouquet Orfèvre Paris · Austrian Import Hallmarks · Set of 6 or 12

A set of knife rests in silver 800, Paris / Vienna circa 1900. Each piece is carried by a faun-like satyr figure serving as a foot: a powerful bearded head with horns beneath a canopy of foliage, cloven hooves for feet — a mythological repertoire treated with the sculptural vigour characteristic of Belle Époque decorative silversmithing. The horizontal bars on which the knife blade rests are supported on each side by these half-human, half-animal figures of remarkable plastic presence.

All pieces bear Austrian and Viennese import hallmarks as well as the lion's head for silver 800. Some pieces additionally carry the French maker's and retailer's mark L. Bouquet Orfèvre, Place de la Trinité, Paris, stamped on the underside of the bars — attesting to a Franco-Austrian dual provenance characteristic of the Parisian luxury trade at the time of the 1900 Exposition Universelle.

Connoisseurs of fine table-setting know the practical virtue of knife rests — but pieces of this sculptural originality and quality are an absolute rarity. Exceptionally heavy and massive — 72 to 76 grams each — these knife rests are a table object of incomparable sculptural presence.

Available as a set of 6 pieces (€ 1,710) or a set of 12 pieces (€ 3,420).

• Height: 4.5 cm · Length bar: 5.8 cm · Length base: 8.8 cm
• Weight: approx. 72–76 g per piece
• Material: silver 800
• Hallmarks: Austrian / Viennese import marks · lion's head · silver 800 · L. Bouquet Orfèvre, Place de la Trinité, Paris (on selected pieces)
• Origin: Paris / Vienna, circa 1900 · Napoléon III / Belle Époque period
• Literature: Joppien / Wellens, German Silver after the Bauhaus, Sterckshof Museum, Antwerp, 2004 · A Personal Touch, Museum Boijmans, 2003 · Bröhan-Museum (ed.), Metallkunst der Moderne, Berlin, 2001 · Graham Hughes, Modern silver throughout the world 1880–1967 · Städtische Museen Heilbronn, Silber für die Welt, P. Bruckmann & Söhne, 1805–1973
• Condition: very good for age · light traces of use · heavy quality

Seen in museums — available to you.

Available for viewing by appointment at our Düsseldorf gallery.

Keywords integrated: knife rests silver faun satyr, L. Bouquet Orfèvre Paris, silver 800, Belle Époque 1900, Austrian Viennese import hallmarks, Napoléon III, figural silversmithing Paris, Exposition Universelle 1900