www.925-1000.com

I have a lovely perfume bottle with French silver hallmarks on the lid. I'm having difficulty identifying the silversmith. The silversmith initials are M.Y. with an anchor in between. I cannot find such a maker with these initials. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi,

In order to make the research easier, you should post pics of others marks. They would enable to define the region and the period of the object.

Thank you anikopol. The other hallmark is that of the head of Minerve, 1st standard for .950/1000 silver. The lid on this bottle is silver, not silverplate or other metal. I have not been able to identify the silversmith's mark.

According to the marks, this object was made in Paris between 1838 and 1972, and is made of 950/1000 silver.
Unfortunatly, I did not found the silversmith mark either in the Vocabulaires database (http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/inventai/patrimoine/) or in this database (http://www.silvercollection.it/frenchsi ... sMDUE.html).
Surprisingly, it may be harder to find the name of a French silversmith of the 19th century than of the 18th….

I'm not sure I agree. The mark is not listed in either volume of Arminjon's books of Parisian marks, nor on the French Architecture & Patrimoine website which covers Paris marks up into the 20th century.

Moreover, I definitely see something underneath Minerva's chin which could be a différent: the small distinctive unique character used to identify the provincial assay offices. A large, sharp photo of the Minerva might help. Also (as I mentioned in a recent thread) you can tell if the piece was assayed at a provincial office by the orientation of the insects on the bigorne mark opposite the Minerva's head. That alone, though, won't tell you which office; only the différent will do that. Unfortunately, if the différent is too worn to be legible, identifying the maker will very much be a needle in a haystack if the piece is indeed provincial.

Thank you blakstone and anikopol. Unfortunately, my camera cannot get a clear enough picture. I looked closely with a loupe and do not find anything such as a symbol or letter other than the number 1 beside the Minerve head. But then again, I haven't polished the silver too much. The hallmarks are repeated on the collar, I've attached another set of pictures from that section of the piece and hopefully they will give a clearer view. I was hoping to find the silversmith, but I've looked at other resources and cannot seem to find a maker with those initials. The collar area is marked for a retailer whose shop was located in Paris during the late 19th century, so I had assumed it was not meant for export or for the provenances.

Hi,

Who was the retailer? It is always helpful to furnish as much information about the piece as possible.

Trev.

Thank you dognose
The name written on the side is Tonnel Paris. I couldn't get a clear enough picture, but it is written on the side. I've included a picture from my research of the original shop on the rue de la paix. I've just finished cleaning the hallmarks to see better with a loupe. I wanted to be certain I was correct on the initials for the maker's marks. Indeed, the silversmith's initials are M.Y. with an anchor...I'm thinking it's going to be difficult to find this silversmith