Fishcarvers

[silverfan]

Carving-fork and -knife in French silver "premier titre" (950/1000) with a lozenge mark containing W padlock T. The W is not clear, it could be another letter. Does anybody know the maker.
Regards silverfan

[dognose]

Hi Silverfan,

I believe that is 'CT' and is one of the marks used by Charles Tirbour of Paris. The symbol is not a padlock, but a traveling bag.

Trev.

[silverfan]

Thanks Trevor for your quick clarification.
Best regards silverfan

[JayT]

Hello
Your fish servers, in the Louis XVI style, date to the turn of the nineteenth century.

To add to Trev’s excellent information, Tirbour was a manufacturing silversmith and cutler from 1897-1951, successor to Félix Malique, who in turn had succeeded Pellerin-Lemoing. All these manufacturers specialized in flatware and tableware.

The mark you show was in use from 1897-1925, when Tirbour was located at 8 rue des Haudriettes in Paris. After 1925 he moved to 23 rue Chapon, where he was in business until 1951, and his mark changed slightly.

Tirbour worked in silver, but also mother-of-pearl, ivory and ebony for the handles of his table knives.

He participated in the Paris Exposition of 1937.

His long working dates mean that his silver tableware is readily available on the secondary market.

Regards.

[silverfan]

Thank you JayT for your complete answer.
Regards silverfan

[JayT]

You’re welcome.

[blakstone]

Charles Edouard Tirbour

Born: 17 Jun 1875, Paris, son of Emile Edmond Tirbour & Sylvanie Felicite Minard
Married: 12 Oct 1896, Paris, to Eugenie Louise Julie Costery
Died: 17 Feb 1951, Paris

[silverfan]

Thanks blakstone for the exact dates. I suppose that the pattern is not created by Tirbour but by Malique or Pellerin-Lemoing, his predecessors!?
Regards silverfan

[JayT]

Your fish servers are typical of late nineteenth century French flatware. I see no reason to believe that the pattern dates from the production of Tirbour’s predecessors. To be certain you’d have to find Tirbour’s printed catalogue.
As background reading you might find interesting David Allan’s book La coutellerie française au XIX-ème siècle.
Good luck in your continuing research on these objects!
Regards.