French maker with AEG initials

[Georg]

I have got an oil & vinegar set, I believe dating to between 1798 and 1809 (see photos below).





However, I do not know the maker (AEG initials with lily). Any help will be greatly appreciated.

G.

[JayT]

Hello
Your cruet stand was made by Abel-Etienne Giroux, specialist in table silver, working in Paris at 51 Quai du Nord until 1806 and then 79 Quai de l’Horloge until 1811. He registered his mark AEG with 3 plumes (un panache) in 1798. No end date is given, but he was mentioned in the Almanach Azur until 1815.
Giroux seems to have had some kind of partnership with Louis Legay (Leguay) while he was at the Quai de l’Horloge address. Legay, a hollowware maker, registered his mark in 1810, and used the same panache symbol as Giroux with a star below.

No mention is made of Giroux in Nocq, therefore he did not have a career under the Ancien Régime.

See Arminjon, v. I, no. 00144, p. 57 and no. 02422, p.248.

Regards.

[Georg]

Thank you so much. Next time, I have to post something more difficult for you (kidding, of course).

Best regards,

G.

[blakstone]

Abel Etienne Toussaint Gabriel Giroux

Born: ca. 1766, Paris, son of Rene Henri Giroux & Francois Gruardet
Married: 25 Jul 1795 [7 Thermidor an III], Paris, 11th arrondissement, to Julie Fortier
Died: 24 Apr 1809, Paris, 8th arrondissement

[JayT]

@Blakstone
Odd that Arminjon has Giroux still working in 1811, 2 years after you say he died in 1809, and the Almanach Azur lists him until 1815.

[blakstone]

It is odd, but there is no question that Giroux died on 24 Apr 1809; his death certificate was re-registered in 1872 from a notarial copy of 1810 associated with his succession, and the date is confirmed by his appearance the 1809 table of decedents in the old 7th & 8th arrondissements, similarly used for probate purposes. Both of these civil documents are far more authoritative than contemporary directories. About which: Paris Directories show Giroux alone 1798-1801, in partnership with Legay as Giroux & Legay 1802-1811, and finally Legay listed alone from 1812 onward. (The Almanachs Azur are not available online, as far as I know, at least not from this era.) Very likely Giroux's widow briefly continued the partnership with Legay as the estate was settled, or Legay simply kept the partnership name for a bit.

[JayT]

@Blakstone
Thanks for sharing your references, and your speculation that Giroux’s business was continued by his widow for a few years before Legay took over. Using all this info, at this stage Georg might want to delve deeper into the history of the firm.
Regards.

[JayT]

@Georg
Thanks for saying that I make it look easy!
Regards.