A Solid Silver And Ivory Petits Fours Cutlery – Ernest Cardeilhac – Late 19th Century

An elegant four-piece petits fours cutlery by the famous silversmith CARDEILHAC:
a slotted spoon, a fork, a flat shovel, and a slotted spatula.
The working parts (spoons and fork tines) are made of solid silver, stamped with the Minerva hallmark and a maker's mark in the form of a lozenge with the initials EC, accompanied by a crescent, a cross of honour, and a crown, symbol of the Parisian silversmith Ernest CARDEILHAC, active in the second half of the 19th century, 24 Place Vendôme, Paris. 
The spoons and spatulas feature delicate pierced work, forming fine stylized foliage, characteristic of late 19th-century French silversmithing.
The handles are made of turned ivory, each adorned with an elegant three-letter monogram, providing a refined contrast to the silver.
This type of silverware for petits fours  accurately illustrates the codified customs of the bourgeois table in the 19th century:
Each piece had a specific function—the solid spatula for dry cakes, the slotted spatula for crumbly pastries, the spoon pierced for candied fruit or preparations in syrup, and a fork for small cakes.

Good condition. The ivory has slight, old shrinkage cracks, common for this material.

Length: 19 cm.

Petits fours cutlery, silverware for petits fours, sterling silver, Minerva, ivory, silversmith Ernest Cardeilhac, middle 19th century, late 19th century, pierced, foliage, monogram.