Paris 1757, Pierre-edmé Balzac, Round Bowl In Solid Silver

Lovely round bowl or hollow dish in solid silver from the Louis XV period. Its hallmarks are legible. Charge hallmark (crowned A) and discharge hallmark (woman's head), crowned R hallmark for the year 1757 and finally the master goldsmith hallmark of the famous Pierre-Edmé Balzac, a private goldsmith following the court from 1739. A great artist, a gifted craftsman who invented several machines to simplify the manufacture of goldsmithery but also a feared businessman, Balzac nevertheless had to file for bankruptcy in 1753. This did not prevent him from continuing the profession until the end of the eighteenth century. He is the author of incredible pieces commissioned by the sovereigns and princes of his time. Unfortunately, the majority of them perished in the revolutionary crucibles. The Louvre Museum exhibits some of the rare survivors, such as the three terrines from the service of the Duke of Penthièvre, later inherited by King Louis-Philippe. The round and square bowls were part of the tables set according to "French service," where all the dishes are placed together on the table according to a geometric plan. Each guest can thus help themselves to the dishes as they wish. This pretty bowl weighs 475 grams.