Silver Reference Books Section?

[legrandmogol]

Is there a section in here that discusses silver resource books? I am always looking to increase my library but some books are expensive and there is scant information about them out there and of course, there are so many books I have yet to discover. I think it would be fun if there was a section dedicated just to reference books and reviewing them. If the sections already in existence I would appreciate a kindly push in the right direction.

[JayT]

For starters, you could try the Library tab at the top of this page. It has 3 pull-down tabs.

[legrandmogol]

that is a great place to start but I have already scoured and bought any books I needed from that list and I don't think it has been updated in a while. Honestly, the best way I have found some very useful and sometimes obscure books is reading other peoples posts when they help somebody else and cite their sources. Picking through the posts to find this information can take a while though. It would just be nice if there was a place where everybody could just talk about the reference books. A place where you could learn about which books are useful and which are not so much and given the price of many of them, it would be nice to know in advance.

[JayT]

Okay, fair enough. Problem is that books about silver are not exactly a publishing hotbed.

What is your area of interest in time and place? Are you looking for references about marks or styles or forms?

I have a good general library, with specific interest in French silver. Here are my top picks for a core library on French marks. Books about styles and forms would be a whole other listing.

Books on French silver standard marks:
1. Tardy. Les poinçons de garantie internationaux pour l’argent. 20th edition. Paris, Tardy, 1995. This book belongs in every silverphile’s library. Although it covers international marks, the longest section is on French marks. Entries are alphabetical by country, then by period. The marks are drawn and are small. An index by type of mark (heads, birds, etc.) helps a bit to find your way. Marks are for silver only; gold and platinum marks are found in other works by Tardy.
2. Markezana, Yves. Le poinçon français d’or, d’argent, de platine de 1275 à nos jours. Turin, Éditions Vial, 2005. The title says it all. Markezana is a newcomer in the field. When his book first appeared it was given bad notices by some reviewers for errors and omissions. However I like it because the drawn illustrations are easy to see, and you get Paris and provincial marks in one book. Marks are arranged by period, and then geographically. Texts on the marking system and regulations are reproduced, if that kind of thing is of interest. The book is readily available and relatively inexpensive (€€).

Books on French maker’s marks:
There is no single, overall source for French maker’s marks. You have to go by region and time period. As about two-thirds of the makers were Parisian, the resources below will cover a lot of ground.
1. Nocq, Henry. Le poinçon de Paris: répertoire des maitres-orfèvres de la juridiction de Paris depuis le moyen-age jusqu’à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. 5 volumes. Paris, Floury, 1926. This is THE reference text for pre-Revolutionary Paris maker’s marks in terms of reliability and completeness. It is out of print, and when available on the secondary market goes for €€€€. If I had to save just one title from my library, this would be it, although I’d need a handcart to carry it away! Makers are arranged alphabetically by last name; indexes of initials and symbols help to narrow the search. The author gives all available info, such as active dates, sponsor, address, position on tax roll, etc. Marks are either described or drawn. Biographies of the most prominent silversmiths are given, with illustrations of their work. I’ve spent many happy hours browsing through Nocq.

For post-Revolutionary maker’s marks the best source is:
2. Arminjon, Catherine et al. Dictionnaire des poinçons de fabricants d’ouvrages d’or et d’argent. V. I 1798-1838 and V. II 1838-1875. Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, 1991 and 1994. These volumes are out of print, and cost €€€€ for the 2 volumes on the secondary market, when you can find them. Makers are arranged by first initial, thus Jean Dupont is listed under J. There are some anomalies, so it is best to check last initial too. There are indexes by last name, symbol, and address. Full info is given for each maker: dates, address, inventory number, successors, etc. The most frustrating aspect of this reference is the poor quality of the illustrations, which are photographs of the stamped mark. A third volume had been planned for marks dating after 1875, but as production costs were prohibitive, V. III is a searchable database on the French Ministry of Culture website. The same problem is found with poor quality photographs of the marks.

Hope this helps, and good luck in building your library.

[legrandmogol]

honestly, my favorite thing to do is buy pieces with marks I've never seen and then buy books to figure them out after. I have my tardy's which is always a great starting point. Your French reference recommendations are going on my list and that is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for. I have plenty of books on silver from England and her colonies but I am now trying to hone in other European countries, particularly their pre-1800 marks. I currently only have about 60 books on silver and jewelry (mostly silver) and some of them were hard to find so it would also be fun to share

[JayT]

I applaud your interest in doing silver research. Hope other members chime in about references on 18th C silver.

[legrandmogol]

Thank you again for your recommendations. Now that I know those books exist and are useful they will go on my daily watch list. I watch to see if an affordable copy shows up. If you check regularly you can get lucky. You are right about them being pricey