Cardeilhac French Sterling Silver Mirrored Plateau & Centerpiece Bowl in Rococo Style from Early 20th Century
Cardeilhac, French 0.950 (higher purity than sterling) silver ensemble from the early 20th century, all in Rococo style, consisting of:
- a two-handled mirrored plateau or tray, richly decorated with beautifully chased acanthus fronds and scrolls extending to form two handles and four feet, fitted with a conforming mirrored plate. It measures 31 1/2'' from handle to handle (28'' excluding the handles) by 19 3/4'' in width by 2 1/2'' in height, weighs approximately 70 troy ounces (but it cannot be measured exactly because of the mirror)
- a two handled bowl, richly decorated with beautifully chased acanthus fronds extending to form two handles and four feet, fitted with a conforming glass bowl with serpentine-lobed rim and decorated with engraved oak and laurel branches. It measures 18 ½’’ from handle to handle by 10 ¼’’ in width by 5 ¼’’ in height, weighs 55.6 troy ounces (silver only).
The house Cardeilhac was founded by Antoine-Vital Cardeilhac in 1804. From 1851 until 1885, his son Armand-Edouard ran the company and in 1885 his grandson, Ernest Cardeilhac became head of the company. It was with Ernest Cardeilhac that gold and silversmithing was introduced to the firm.
Amélie, Armand-Edouard’s widow, ran the company’s division for the manufacturing of platework from 1904 until 1913 at 24 place Vendôme, a prestigious address renowned for luxury stores to this very day, and from 1904 until 1920 at 91 rue de Rivoli for silversmithing, almost across the street from the prestigious Louvre Museum. Finally in 1920 both sons of Ernest Cardeilhac, Jacques and Pierre, took over the business until 1951, when the company merged with prestigious maker Christofle.
Some of Cardeilhac’s pieces are in the permanent collections of prestigious museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.
Please feel free to ask us any questions, and please see our other listings. We hand polish all items before shipping them out, but if there is interest for a professional polishing and/or engraving removal, we can take care of that for an additional charge and with delayed shipping.