Solid Silver Regency Candlestick – Jean-adrien Duval – Louis XV Period – Calais, Circa 1760

Regency-style candlestick
made of solid silver
Silversmith Jean-Adrien Duval (1730–1766), active from 1756 to 1764
Calais, circa 1760
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H 22.5
429 g
Very good overall condition
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Hallmarks
• Hallmark of master silversmith Jean-Adrien Duval for large pieces (JAD beneath a closed crown) [Plouvier 2019, p. 580];
• Duval’s hallmark for small pieces (D within an open crown) [Plouvier 2019, p. 580];
• Master’s hallmark for large pieces, partially engraved to reveal only the crown.

In the absence of the official hallmarks of the Mark, one might suspect, in this specific case, an attempt at fraud on the part of the silversmith.
Indeed, it is evident that the closed crown actually originates from the master’s mark for large pieces, which was imperfectly engraved. When struck in this manner, this crown could pass as a charge mark to an uninformed public. Similarly, Duval’s small hallmark, normally used for small pieces and which has no place here, can serve as a date letter — which, from 1756 to 1760, is indeed a D, but under a closed crown. Duval was all the more familiar with this guild hallmark because he himself had engraved it after his appointment to the position of second guard on October 29, 1756 [Plouvier 2019, p. 580].
If this is indeed a case of fraud, the absence of a discharge mark comes as no surprise.

In February 1764, Duval, while serving as master silversmith, closed his shop without telling anyone and left for England, where he died two years later.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Bastien Lancelot, who identified this Duval hallmark. Without the official mark, I was a bit at a loss! A big thank you to him.
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Bibliography
Martine Plouvier, Les orfèvres de Picardie – La Monnaie d'Amiens, Laon 2019