Puiforcat Iris, Serving Spoon, Solid Silver, Art Nouveau, Paris, 1890–1910

Large solid silver serving spoon, “Iris” model — Puiforcat, Paris, circa 1900

Large solid silver serving spoon, crafted by Puiforcat in the “Iris” style, characteristic of French silverwork from the Art Nouveau period.

Measuring a remarkable 30 cm in length, with a bowl 8.5 cm wide, this piece stands out for its generous dimensions and the delicacy of its floral decoration, which adorns both sides of the handle.

The iris flowers, with their supple, widely spreading petals, intertwine with long, ribbon-like leaves. Their curves follow the silhouette of the spoon and frame the bowl, one side of which bears a finely engraved monogram. The relief of the flowers, the design of the veins, and the curling foliage give the piece a beautiful sculptural presence.

The slender handle joins a wide, rounded spoon bowl with a delicately scalloped edge. A raised iris flower accentuates this junction, extending the botanical motif onto the bowl. The bowl retains traces of vermeil, whose golden hues contrast with the brilliance of the silver.

This design fully embodies the Art Nouveau taste for natural forms, whose lines here contribute to the very structure of the object.

Crafted from solid silver of the second fineness, at 800 parts per thousand, this spoon bears the diamond-shaped maker’s mark of the Puiforcat house, featuring the initials “EP” framing a pocketknife, as well as the French hallmark for export featuring the head of Mercury.

Paris, Art Nouveau period, circa 1900.

• Length: 30 cm.
• Width of the bowl: 8.5 cm.
• Weight: 125 g.
• Material: 800/1000 sterling silver, traces of vermeil on the spoon bowl.
• Condition: signs of use and partial wear on the gilding.