Help With French Ladle Maker.

[dartsil]

Hello all.,

Wondering if anyone can assist with the maker on this ladle and then that would give a rough idea to the date?

It also carries the weevil mark.

Interestingly its of a large size, much larger than a sifter ladle from England so I am wondering if this maybe had a specific use?

It measures 218mm in length, 65mm across the widest point of bowl and weighs 94g.

[blakstone]

It appears to be a saupoudreuse – a sugar sifter. French flatware of the time was generally larger than comparable English pieces.

The “vieillard” mark – “head of an old man” (Michelangelo, actually) – shows that the piece is first standard (.950) silver and assayed in Paris between 1819 and 1838.

The maker’s mark is that of Louis Lenain, registered 20 Apr 1836 and cancelled on 6 Jul 1882:

Louis Victor Eloi Lenain
Born: ca. 1807, son of Louis Sebastien Lenain & Marie Jeanne Angelique Malliard
Married: 22 Sep 1827, Paris, to Francoise Robichon, d.o. Denis Robichon & Anne Claire Laffin
Died: 30 Oct 1876

The firm was continued by his son Louis Victor Edouard Lenain (1831-1896) with the same mark until 1882. However, note that as the maker’s mark was registered in 1836 and the assay mark last used in 1838, this gives a very narrow date range for the piece: 1836-1838.

Hope this helps!

[dartsil]

Good evening Blakstone,

Excellent information, many thanks for taking the time to tell me as much, its so much more than I had hoped for.

Regards,
Colin