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