Paris Circa 1840 – Pair Of Solid Silver Salt Cellars By J.-f. Veyrat, Louis-philippe Period

Pair of solid silver salt cellars (950/1000 standard) with historicist neo-Gothic decoration, from the Louis-Philippe period.
Each piece is composed of two shell-shaped bowls, partially gilt on the interior, resting on an oval base with four moulded and pierced feet. The gadrooned and beaded bowls are secured to the base with silver nuts. Each pair is surmounted by a pierced handle. The borders of the base, as well as the handles, are adorned with raised decoration of stylised leatherwork and trompe-l'œil gem motifs.

The feet feature moulded bases highlighted with stylised cartouches, forming a pierced profile with opposed scrolls in a restrained rocaille spirit.
The ensemble is complete with its original four silver nuts.

Hallmarks
– Minerva 1st standard (950/1000 silver, Paris)
– Wild boar’s head (small guarantee mark)
– Maker’s mark: Veyrat in full, with a star above and below the name

Weight: 182 grams
Date: Louis-Philippe period, circa 1840
Condition report: Very good overall condition; some discreet old restorations

This pair of salt cellars reflects the ornamental silverwork produced in Paris between 1835 and 1845, characterised by a refined historicist reinterpretation of past styles.
The leatherwork and stylised gem motifs, applied to a double salt cellar form inherited from the 18th century, belong to the neo-Gothic vocabulary found at the time in table silverware, liturgical objects and metalwork.
Although classified as "light silverware" in 19th-century terminology, this piece reveals a level of execution and decorative richness sought after by a cultivated bourgeois clientele.

Parisian silversmith, active 1832–1840

Jean-François Veyrat began his career in 1815 by producing silver-plated objects, before focusing exclusively on solid silver from 1830 onwards. He was registered as a master silversmith in 1832 and established his workshop at 10, rue de la Tour, Paris. He exhibited regularly at the Expositions des produits de l’industrie française, receiving silver medals in 1834 and 1839.

His works, in classical or historicist styles, are noted for their fine execution and elegant composition. In 1840, he went into partnership with his son, Augustin Pierre Adolphe Veyrat, and the firm became Veyrat & Fils, then Veyrat Fils from 1849 onwards.

Jean-François Veyrat held an important position within the 19th-century Parisian silversmithing scene. By 1867, he was regarded as heading one of the most significant workshops in Paris, both in layout and number of craftsmen. He was appointed judge at the Commercial Court, vice-president of the Jewellery and Silversmithing Guild, and named Officier d’Académie in 1874.

– MUSÉE D’ORSAY, Paris : Covered vegetable dish, parcel-gilt and enamelled silver, Paris, 1855–1860 (inv. RF-MO-OAO2015-5-1)
– MUSÉE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS, Bordeaux : Pair of round dishes, silver, Paris, 1832–1838 (inv. 16013 ; 16014)
– MUSÉE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS, Bordeaux : Sugar bowl, silver, Paris, 1819–1838 (inv. 16042 ; 3182)
– MUSÉE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS, Bordeaux : Coffee pot, silver, Paris, 1832–1838 (inv. 16043 ; 3184)
– MUSÉE NATIONAL MAGNIN, Dijon : Cruet stand, silver, crystal and gold, Paris, 1840–1849 (inv. 1938ORF7)
– MUSÉE DES ARTS DE LA TABLE, Abbaye de Belleperche : Flatware rest, silver-plated copper, Paris, 1831–1840 (inv. 2020.4.1)
– ÉGLISE PAROISSIALE SAINT-MICHEL, Liffré : Baptismal shell, silver, Paris, 1832–1838

– MUSÉE DES ARTS DÉCORATIFS DE BORDEAUX, Permanence de l'orfèvrerie française – Argenterie bordelaise, 10 April – 8 June 1987.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

• ARMINJON C., BEAUPUIS J., BILIMOFF M., Dictionnaire des poinçons de fabricants d’ouvrages d’or et d’argent, Paris, 1798-1838, Cahiers de l’Inventaire, Imprimerie Nationale Éditions, 1991.
• ARMINJON C., BEAUPUIS J., BILIMOFF M., Dictionnaire des poinçons de fabricants d’ouvrages d’or et d’argent, Paris, 1838-1875, Cahiers de l’Inventaire, Imprimerie Nationale Éditions, 1991.
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• Recueil des lois et actes de l'instruction publique, année 1874, Paris, Delalain et Fils, 1874.