Jean-pierre Charpenat, Silver Pitcher, Late 18th Century

Solid silver pitcher with an ebony handle. Simple in shape, it is embellished with subtle chiseled ornamentation at the hinge and bears an unidentified coat of arms surmounted by a count’s crown stamped on its side.

Various hallmarks visible:

Under the base

• Master’s hallmark: JCP, a crescent, a crowned fleur-de-lis, and two grains of medicine

• Trade hallmark in use in Paris from 1782 to 1789 (A with a crown)

• Guild mark in use in Paris from 1787 to 1788 (P with a crown)

• Discharge mark

On the reverse of the lid

• Repetition of the charge, guild, and master hallmarks

On the rim of the neck

• Discharge hallmark with a parrot’s head

• Later hallmark featuring an ornate head of Mercury, used from 1798 to 1809 on silver pieces imported into France

On the inner edge of the lid:

• Reproduced parrot-head discharge hallmark

Inside the lid, at the spout:

• Reproduced from the ornate Mercury-head hallmark

Jean-Pierre Charpenat was a Parisian silversmith who was granted master status in 1782. As a supplier to the Crown, he notably crafted a travel set for Queen Marie-Antoinette, now housed at the Louvre Museum.

A slight dent on the body.
Good overall condition.
Dates from the late 18th century.

Dimensions:
L: 20 cm (including handle)
D: 7 cm (neck) – 9 cm (base)

Net weight: 410 g