Postby JayT » Fri Jan 31, 2020 8:28 am
Hello
Sometimes you should listen to what people tell you! The marks are legible, but very dirty.
Your ladle was made by Pierre-Nicolas Sommé in Paris in 1788. You have Sommé’s second mark of a crowned fleur-de-lys, two grains, initials PNS, and a hand holding a bunch of laurel leaves. Sommé had a long, distinguished career. Apprenticed in 1747 to Edme-Thomas Laurent, he transferred to Eloy Guérin in 1750. He registered his first mark on 17 July 1760, and this second mark on 3 September 1768. At the time your ladle was made he was on rue St. Eloi, where he stayed until 1793. He retired to Versailles, and died in the early 19th C. Examples of Sommé’s work can be found at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
See Nocq, v. 4, p. 29.
In addition to the maker’s mark you have a date letter mark indicating 1788 under a crowned P, a charge mark of a Crowned A, in use 1783-1789, a discharge mark of the same time period, and just for fun, a small assay mark. The latter is unusual to see.
As a bonus, the pattern of your ladle is called Uniplat, and you have a personalization of initials under a coronet of a marquis(?), although your photo of the coronet is not clear.
Hope this helps.
Regards.
