French spice container

PHOTOS REQUIRED - marks + item
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Johny
Posts: 150
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2006 9:59 am

French spice container

Post by Johny »

Someone knows who the producer is. Two signatures stamped on each other

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JayT
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Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:45 pm

Re: French spice container

Post by JayT »

Your double salt dish was made in Paris of 950 standard silver between 1819-1838 as seen by the Michelangelo head facing right in an octagonal reserve, and a guarantee mark of the head of Ceres facing left in an oval reserve. The maker was Sixte-Simon Rion, initials SSR, symbol “la bisse de Milan représentant un serpent tenant un enfant dans sa gueule,” or the heraldic symbol of Milan of a serpent holding a child in its mouth. Rion used this mark at his establishment at 27 rue de Harley between 20 October 1807 and 20 April 1824, when he began to use another mark. Rion was the successor to Firmin Caüet working at the same address from 1801-1807.
See Arminjon, v. I, no. 03234, p. 316.
See also viewtopic.php?f=7&t=16647
for more info on Rion and his successor.
The second super-imposed mark looks blurry on my monitor. If you could sharpen the image or at least give the first letter it would help. The second mark could be a retailer, or evidence of a replacement part.
blakstone
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Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2006 3:05 am

Re: French spice container

Post by blakstone »

Sixte-Simon Rion

Born: 22 Oct 1780, St. Germain-sur-Ecole, Seine-et-Marne, son of Jean Rene Rion & Marie Amie Durel
Married: 2 Sep 1807, Paris, to Adelaide Josephine Bourg
Died: 14 May 1848, Paris

The other mark is that of demoiselle Francoise Nicolas (Arminjon I, no. 02741; mark “Nicolas” with “F” in parentheses, with device of the sun in splendor). She was listed as a spoonmaker, 89 rue Quincampoix, her mark registered 5 Mar 1833, cancelled 3 May 1844.

I have not been able to find any additional information on her, though she was undoubtedly the successor of Francois Nicolas, a spoonmaker working 25 Feb 1828 – 5 Mar 1833 at 14 rue Platre-Ste. Avoye, whose mark was “F. Nicolas” with the same device. (Arminjon I, no. 01206). “Demoiselle” would suggest that she was his daughter rather than his widow.

Given that Nicolas’ specialty and that her mark appears over Rion’s, I assume that Rion is the maker and Nicolas a retailer or re-seller. (Note, too, that while Arminjon does show two variant marks for Rion, it is not clear precisely when it changed, as he registered five marks over the years - 1807, 1824, 1830, 1832, and 1835) and Arminjon does not indicate which design corresponded to which registration.)
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