Alphonse Debain Solid Silver Asparagus Tongs With Coat Of Arms

Solid silver asparagus tongs by silversmith Alphonse Debain, hallmarked with a woodcock in 1883 and struck through in 1911

Openwork decoration of acanthus leaves and scrolls in the Rocaille style, with the combined coat of arms of Count Louis Affre de Saint-Rome (1883–1960), Chamberlain to Popes Pius X and Benedict XV, and his wife Marie de Semaille (1892–1976), who were married in 1912.

The Count’s coat of arms: Azure, a dolphin spouting water from its blowholes and swimming on a sea wavy at the tip, all argent; with a gules chief, charged with three silver stars

Son and grandson of Parisian goldsmiths established since 1847 on Rue du Temple, Alphonse Debain had his hallmark engraved in 1883 and set up shop at 79 Rue du Temple, where he succeeded Philippe Berthier, who specialized in small tableware and religious silverware. He presented his first works at the 1889 Paris World’s Fair, where he won a gold medal. He retired in 1911.

Weight: 118 grams