Dessert Cutlery Set For 18 People, Vermeil, Paris, Maison Aucoc & André Aucoc

All pieces in the set bear the silversmith’s hallmark as well as the Paris hallmark for 950/1000 silver, featuring the head of Minerva accompanied by the number 1. The silver blades of the knives also bear the manufacturer’s inscription: “A. Aucoc in Paris.”

DESCRIPTION:

The set includes:
18 dessert spoons — length: 19 cm; weight: 1,238 g.
18 dessert forks — length: 19 cm; weight: 1,001 g.
18 dessert knives — length: 20.5 cm; weight: 775 g.
Weight of silver: 2,239 g.
Total weight: 3,014 g.

A remarkable cutlery set with handles ending in a semicircle, decorated on both sides with a winding branch motif and, at their tips, with a shell in half-relief. The spoons are oval, and the forks have four tines. The knives feature pointed blades and mother-of-pearl handles, set in silver ferrules decorated with small leaves.

The cutlery is entirely gilded. In the case of a dessert service, this gilding also serves a practical purpose: gilded silver does not react with either citrus juices or egg-based desserts. It thus offers a particularly refined way to enjoy all kinds of desserts.

ABOUT THE SILVERWARE HOUSE:
The history of the silverware house that produced this service is particularly interesting. The founder of this illustrious dynasty of silversmiths was Jean-Baptiste Casimir Aucoc, who began his business in 1821 as a manufacturer of luxury travel accessories, known as “travel sets.” These were sumptuous cases containing all sorts of containers, toiletries, and tools for shaving as well as for nail, hair, and skin care.

The quality of Casimir Aucoc’s products quickly earned him great renown and, above all, the title of purveyor to the court of King Charles X. In 1835, the workshop expanded its offerings to include other toiletries, notably mirrors and candlesticks, some of which were gilded. In 1850, his son Louis Aucoc joined the company. This collaboration proved successful as early as 1851, when the firm received a medal for its toiletries at the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, held at the Crystal Palace in London.

At that time, the firm’s pieces bore a hallmark featuring Casimir’s initials inscribed within a diamond, as well as the inscription “Aucoc Aîné,” used by Louis, who already had a son of the same name. Casimir retired in 1854. Louis Aucoc the Elder then carried on the great tradition of crafting luxurious travel sets, while expanding the company’s operations into the field of jewelry.

The company retained its status as a purveyor to the court. Its clients included, in succession, King Louis-Philippe, Napoleon III, and prominent aristocratic families. In the 1870s, management was taken over by Louis Aucoc the Younger, who expanded the production of high-end jewelry. In 1877, he transformed the company into Maison Aucoc.

Beginning in 1900, Louis was assisted by his younger brother André. At that time, the firm gained great renown thanks to its high-quality Art Nouveau-style jewelry. It also resumed production of everyday silverware. André Aucoc died in 1911. The firm continued its operations until 1932.

Interestingly, in the 1870s, the young René Lalique, then a teenager, completed a two-year apprenticeship in the Aucoc family’s workshop.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Arminjon C., Beaupuis J., Bilimoff M., Dictionary of Hallmarks of Gold and Silver Artisans in Paris and the Seine Region, 1838–1875, Paris, 1994, p. 90, no. 00770.
Markezana Y., French Hallmarks for Gold, Silver, and Platinum from 1275 to the Present, Turin, 2005, p. 105.