Cup and saucer

[Jag]

Gilt interior. I don't think of silver being used with tea/coffee, but that must be what this was used for. French .950 silver, and maker Edouard Ernie. His mark in the middle is a gaiter - I had to look that up - do you know what a gaiter is? Or why a silver-smith would choose one as a symbol?

I love the handle on the cup. Can anyone guess when it was made (post 1882?)

[JLDoggett]

A gaiter is is worn like a spat, it covers the leg from the knee to ankle over the pant leg and the top of the shoe/boot. They can be leather or cloth (or if you are an ancient Greek or Roman, bronze). They are worn when going through rough land or shubs to protect the pant and footware or to prevent vermin from getting up you trousers. Odd item to signify a silversmith, maybe he started as a buckler?

[dognose]

Hi Jag,

A friend has contacted me regarding your cup and saucer. He agrees with your attribution of Edouard Ernie, Paris, since 11 July 1882 although he was recorded as a jeweller. Apparently the cup would have had a glass liner and the gilding would have reflected the light through the glass and the tea.

He suspects the gaiter mark may be connected with a family name rather than an occupation.

Trev.

[Jag]

Thank you (and him), the glass liner makes perfect sense. Otherwise it would be far too hard to clean and surely the gilding would have worn away. I don't supposed I'll ever find a liner that fits, but it gives me something (else) to look for.

[JayT]

Édouard Ernie was the successor to his father-in-law, Jules Guétin in 1882, and as was the custom, he used his father-in-law’s device — a gaiter — to honour him and to show that the company was continuing. The French word for gaiter sounds like Guétin, so the device initially was a way to help people remember the company name. Many French silver makers chose for their devices objects that sounded like their names.

[AG2012]

the glass liner makes perfect sense

The form of this cup supports the idea of glass liner.On the other hand, look at this Austrian cup and saucer:
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=29919
No glass liner would fit securely in there because it`s perfect hemisphere, I tried - it tilts and falls off.
In a word, still a mystery to me; liner or no liner, at least in some cups. On the other hand, it`s unlikely tea, coffee or Vienna Milchkaffee (Café au lait) were served in silver.