Leneuf Victor Goldsmith, 12 Solid Silver Oyster Forks, Paris, 19th Century

Superb suite of 12 solid silver oyster forks, the fork with three curved tines. The attachment is beaded, the handle with rococo decoration receives a very rich decoration of acanthus, foliage, foliage, flowers and florets, pearls, a delicately guilloche background is inscribed in a frame and comes to receive a foliated cartouche. The base receives a figure of cherub borrowed from the ornamental repertoire of the Renaissance, in clouds of foliage and foliage.

Hallmarks

• French Minerve 1er titre (mark for solid silver 950/1000).
• Master goldsmith,VL a sugar pliers, for Victor Leneuf (registered in 1885).

Weight, 273 grams.

Late 19th century.


By the delicacy of its work as well as the richness and originality of its ornamental repertoire, this suite of 12 oyster forks is unusual and really extra-ordinary.

An identical but less elaborate suite, without guilloche background and with a simpler attachment figure in the collections of the Maison Régionale des Arts de la Table, in Arnay-le-Duc [1], illustrated in David ALLAN's work on French tableware and cutlery from the 19th century published by Faton [2].

[1] MAISON RÉGIONALE DES ARTS DE LA TABLE, ARNAY-LE-DUC, Twelve oyster forks, silver, Paris 1882-1901.
[2] ALLAN David, Le Couvert et la coutellerie de table française du XIXe siècle, Faton, 2007.


Victor LENEUF

Victor LENEUF is a Parisian jeweler and goldsmith. He succeeds the silversmith Edmond ZEIHEN and is based at 15, rue du Poitou in Paris.
He has his maker's mark registered in 1885.
He produces cutlery and silverware such as cutting, salad, fish, hors d'oeuvre, oyster forks, fish trowels. It specializes in Russian-style coffee spoons, table, dessert and cheese knives, sugar tongs and spoons, strawberries, jams and other variants, salt shakers, mustard cups and egg cups. He also makes boxes composed for gifts and works for France and abroad.