French small box 19th?

[jaume]

Hi,
Let me ask you your opinion about this box or card holder in vermeil and enamel.

Its measurements: 12.2 x 5 x 1.3 cm

Only two silver marks appear.
The first one looks like a mercury head although no details can be seen.
The second one, which would correspond to the silversmith. I think I recognize the initials J.O. although I am not sure.
In the lower corner of the rhombus, a five-pointed star.
In the upper corner, some "different" to identify.

Thanks in advance & kind regards.
Jaume

[anikopol]

Hi Jaume,

Nice box, probably made in the 2nd part of the 19th century.

Regarding the first mark : I guess you are right, a Mercury head, looking to the left. This mark, with some variations (i-e : mark in an octogon, in an oval...) is a 19th-French export mark, for items sold to foreign countries and thus with no "droits de garantie" (tax on precious metals) to be paid.
This Mercury head, which seems not in an oval, could be the mark for small items, between 1839 and 1879 (source : Tardy, Les poinçons de garantie pour l'argent, 1969 (9th edition)).

Regarding the silvermith mark in a lozenge : I do not know it, but it may be include in the following book : Arminjon and alii, Dictionnaire des poinçons de fabricants d'ouvrages d'or et d'argent de Paris et de la Seine : 1838-1875, Imprimerie nationale, 1994. I do not own this book personally, but I plan to go within 15 days in a specialized library which own this book and could check if I can find this silvermith mark.

[jaume]

Hello Anikopol,

Thank you for your confirmations about the Mercury head mark and the source you mention.

And regarding the offer to consult the corpus you mentioned, I really appreciate your kindness. I have not found it in the catalogue of the specialized art library at the MNAC in Barcelona, ​​which is where I usually go to make these kinds of inquiries.

Thank you very much & kind regards.

Jaume

[anikopol]

Hi Jaume,

A bad news and a good news.
Bad news : I could not find such a mark in : Arminjon and alii, Dictionnaire des poinçons de fabricants d'ouvrages d'or et d'argent de Paris et de la Seine : 1838-1875, Imprimerie nationale, 1994,
...but good news : I could find it in in the previous book written by this research team : Arminjon and alii, Dictionnaire des poinçons de fabricants d'ouvrages d'or et d'argent de Paris et de la Seine : 1798-1838, Imprimerie nationale, 1991, p. 183, n° 01650.

This mark is the one of Jean CHEROUX : J C, a bee above, a star below. This is his first mark, between 1827 and 1854 ; he then took another mark (a bee, a star above this time) between 1854 and 1862.
This identification is consistent with the period suggered by the Mercury head.



Legend for notices included in Arminjon's books :
[number N]) : description of the Nth hallmark registered by French administration (underlined)
[number N]) : speciality of the workshop, according to the information given to French administration
[number N]) : legal place of the workshop (in Paris)
[number N]) : registration ("insculpation") date of the Nth mark by French administration
[number N]) : unregistration ("biffage") date of the Nth mark by French administration

[anikopol]

* "with the period suggested by the Mercury head." would be more correct !

[jaume]

Antikopol,

I'm on a trip and that's why I've been late in answering you.

The summary of the bad news and the good news is the following: excellent news!

Without your bibliographical consultation, it would not have been possible.

Thank you for your kindness and your time.

Jaume

[bijoux.expert]

The Mercury head hallmark in a cut-out frame was in fact used from the 11th July 1840 until 31st March 1879. This mark was used for both gold and silver, and the problems caused by this ambiguity were resolved by the introduction of new Mercury export marks on 1st April 1879 with separate marks for gold and silver.
Many references make mistakes in dating by using the dates of legislation. In fact, many hallmarks were introduced after the legislation was passed and in some cases ceased being used many years before the withdrawal legislation caught up.
Source : French Precious Metal Hallmarks from 1789 to Date by Michael Fieggen

[jaume]

Thank you for your valuable input bijoux.expert,

I had found very imprecise data on The Mercury Head hallmark. Thank you for your bibliographical source and for clarifying the chronological period of the mark.

Kind regards to everyone.

Jaume