French Butter Knives - Maker's Mark different ?

[Dendriet]

I have some French butter knives.
Maker's mark P Q
Minerva head 1






I wonder if this is the same maker's mark on the site, because the letter Q is very different from the picture shown?






Best regards
Dendriet

[JayT]

The Queillé family were large manufacturers of silver cutlery, flatware and hollowware in Paris at various addresses throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century until the 1930’s. The company passed from father to son over more than a century. Their mark was always the initials PQ on a horizontal axis with an antique oar (une rame antique) separating the initials. The appearance of their symbol (the oar) and the letters changed somewhat over time, but PQ with the oar is always the mark of this family. The first, Pierre-François Queillé, was a cutler who registered his mark in 1808. The second, also Pierre-François Queillé, probably his son, worked 1834-1846. Next came Eugène, a son of the second Pierre-François Queillé, then another Pierre-François Queillé. Sources: Arminjon, I, no. 03068, p. 302, and Allan, p. 313. In my opinion your knives were made after 1846.

These knives are dessert, cheese or fruit knives. The individual butter knife is not a French form, although master butter knives do exist as serving pieces.

Hope this helps to clarify.

[Dendriet]

Hi JayT,

I’m glad to note that these knives are dessert, cheese or fruit knives.
Du pain du vin et du Boursin still sounds better than, du pain du vin et du beurre as being a civil butter knife.
But I’m a little bit disappointed that such a large manufacturer like the family Queillé, with extensive literary description, gives no clear answer in this maker's mark.
But I’m very grateful to you again to the discovery of this solution, and that’s still a (Pierre??) Queillé


Best regards
Dendriet