Solid Silver Cutlery Set, Victor Boivin, Paris, 1897-1915, Louis XV, 12 People

Very elegant set of Louis XV style cutlery in solid silver (800%) dating from the end of the nineteenth century or the beginning of the twentieth century. It is completely complete for 12 guests and has 84 pieces.
12 table forks
12 table spoons
12 table knives
12 dessert forks
12 dessert knives
12 dessert spoons
12 teaspoons
Each piece is delicately engraved with two intertwined initials ML . Each piece bears a master silversmith mark VB in a lozenge for Victor Boivin.
This Parisian silversmith took over the workshop of his father, the silversmith Jules Boivin (active from 1862 to 1881). Victor was the brother of the even more famous jeweler René Boivin and the brother-in-law of Jeanne Poiret, the sister of the couturier Paul Poiret. Jeweler René Boivin apprenticed as a goldsmith and chaser with his brother Victor before creating his own business and becoming one of the greatest legendary jewelry designers of his time. Victor Boivin moved into the very elegant and historic Hôtel de Montmorency at 5 rue de Montmorency in the Marais in 1897. This private mansion was owned by one of the greatest French aristocratic families, the Montmorencys, and was occupied at the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV by the famous superintendent of finances Nicolas Fouquet. His goldsmith's house was taken over by Ravinet d'Enfert at the beginning of the 20th century. His goldsmith's mark: in a diamond, initials VB framed by 2 stars. The upper star is surmounted by an inverted crescent. The cutlery weighs 2600 grams without the knives. The weight of the silver contained in the knife handles amounts to approximately 500 grams.