Paris Rattle, 1789–1792, Pierre-étienne-claude Mozac, Silver And Crystal

Silver and rock crystal rattle-whistle by Pierre-Étienne-Claude Mozac

Paris, between February 23, 1789, and October 1792

This Parisian rattle combines a silver whistle with a rock crystal teether. Around the shaft, openwork scrolls support six ribbed bells. It measures 16 cm long by 7 cm wide.

The maker’s mark is that of Pierre-Étienne-Claude Mozac: the letters P E C M surround a five-petaled rose beneath a crowned fleur-de-lis. Mozac, who was certified as a master goldsmith in Paris in 1777, had his workshop in the Marché-Neuf.

Two other marks help date the object: the “eye” hallmark, reserved for very small pieces, and the “fly” countermark. The period during which these marks were in use places this rattle between February 23, 1789, and October 1792, during the years of the French Revolution. The presence of these two marks on an object of this size is of particular interest for its dating.

Reference for hallmarks: *The Dating of Parisian Silverwork under the Ancien Régime*, Paris Musées, 1995, nos. 552 and 555.