Silver Cutlery Set. Besançon, Circa 1745–1770. Total Weight: 2,384.6 G

BESANÇON, circa 1745–1770 (interlaced “C,” crowned “L”) Pierre-François GRANDGUILLAUME (hallmark: PFGG), admitted as a master in 1728. Very rare silver cutlery set, single-plate style, comprising seventeen place settings, or 34 pieces.

All pieces are engraved with the coat of arms of Louis-René-Ferdinand QUENTIN de RICHEBOURG de CHAMPCENETZ (1760–1794), Knight of the Order of Malta (1776), known as “The Knight of Champcenetz.” Total weight: 2,384.6 g.

The son of the governor of the Tuileries, Louis-René de Champcenetz was a sharp-witted man and a feared pamphleteer during the waning days of the Ancien Régime. A contributor to the satirical newspaper *Les Actes des Apôtres*, he mocked revolutionaries, deputies, and philosophers with biting humor. After fleeing Paris following the fall of the monarchy, he returned to publish his books. He was arrested and executed on July 23, 1794.