Snuff Box Maker

[juantotree]

Hi,

Can anybody help me identify the maker of this French snuff box. It has the initials SP separated by a crowned crescent moon.

Many Thanks
Martin

[JayT]

Hello Martin
Are both halves of the box marked? Is there a silver standard mark in addition to a maker's mark? If yes, is it a French Minerva head for Paris or for the provinces? More questions than answers at this point.

[juantotree]

Hi JayT,

It has the 950 Mercury head export mark which is very clear along with 2 other marks that I can't distinguish. I have added the best images I can get of these below.

Martin

[dognose]

From memory, the lower mark is an 19th century Italian import mark.

Trev.

[JayT]

Thanks Martin and Trev for the additional info. I bow to Trev's knowledge of Italian marks. The other mark shown is just too much of a splat to see clearly.

Here is my thought process (for what its worth) on your snuff box. The Mercury head export mark was used after 1878, therefore I started with the French Ministry of Culture website for marks registered after 1878: no joy. Next stop, Arminjon v. II, looking at SP initials, with no luck. Then searched for crown and crescent symbols. There I hit a possibility, although the first initial doesn't match. To my eye and on my monitor, the S is a little iffy anyway, while the P is quite clear. See what you think:

Edme Picard, snuffbox maker (la tabatière) working in Paris at several addresses, all on rue Saint-Martin. He had 4 marks; only one is illustrated. EP on a horizontal axis with a crown and a crescent (une couronne et un croissant). First mark registered on 3 February 1849, last mark struck off the list on 15 April 1874.

See Arminjon, v. II, no. 01541, p.154.

Remains the problem of the date of the export mark. Perhaps the exporter held stock that was 4 years old?

Hope someone else comes up with a better alternative.

[juantotree]

Thanks to both of you. JayT I think you may be on to something here. The first initial could indeed be an E, I really do appreciate the research and effort you have put in to supplying this information. If I can I will try to add a sharper image of the unidentified mark.

Martin

[amena]

As I said in the post
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=45200&p=131569&hilit=KORDES#p131569
the mark of the lion's head is not exactly an import mark, but I verified that it was also used for this purpose.
But something does not fit, because this mark has been used until 1872, when, as Jay T says, the object is made after 1878.
A little mystery
Regards
Amena

[juantotree]

Thank you Amena for your observations. I have managed to get a pretty clear image of the other mark, but to be honest I still have no idea what it might be.

Martin

[dognose]

To me, it looks like two marks, an oblong one partially over-striking an oval one:



The oval one looks like at one time it was quite highly detailed.

Trev.