CHRISTOFLE – Silver-plated metal covered food warmer, Paris c. 1870-1880

A beautiful silver-plated copper and brass food warmer by Christofle, complete with its lid. It features superb, ornate, gadrooned handles joined by a molded ring, attached to the body by finely sculpted foliate clasps.

The piece rests on four delicately crafted toupie feet.

Hallmarks:
• CHRISTOFLE in full,
• CC (a balance, four stars and two branches) (1862-1935).

• The number 3 and the number 0, each within a square.

• Reference number 2703756 on both pieces.

Dimensions:
• Height: 11.8 cm

• Diameter: 25.4 cm

• Length: 29.6 cm

Condition Report:
Some wear to the silver plating on the upper part, at the junction of the lid, consistent with its age and use. The silver plating on the body is in very good condition.

This warmer retains its original silver plating. With the exception of some localized wear indicative of age and use, the silver plating on the body is in very good condition.

Superb quality of the handles, characteristic of the period and a prestigious commission.

A Christofle warmer with similar handles, bearing the arms of the Orléans family, was sold by Christie's during the sale of the estate of the Count of Paris.

Founded in 1830, the Christofle company became a supplier to King Louis-Philippe, who placed his first orders with them at the 1844 Exhibition, followed in 1846 by a commission for a dinner service for the Château d'Eu. It achieved renown thanks to a commission by Emperor Napoleon III, upon his accession to power, for a grand ceremonial service of 4,000 pieces, the highlight of which was a monumental mess presented at the 1855 Universal Exhibition. Despite the tragic fate of this service, largely destroyed in the fire at the Tuileries Palace in 1871[1], the company's reputation became immense. Goldsmith to the King and Supplier to the Emperor, the firm was sought after by leading foreign sovereigns and their courts, such as Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the Tsar of Russia, the Kaiser, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Sultan Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire.

The firm's growth was exponential, and Christofle established itself as one of the major goldsmiths of the late 19th and 20th centuries, with ever-expanding expertise, even undertaking the gilding of the roofs of the Opéra Garnier.

Developing pieces with modern lines, Art Nouveau and Art Deco, which triumphed at the 1925 Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, CHRISTOFLE also created services for the largest ocean liners of the time, such as Atlantique, Île-de-France and Normandie, for palaces like the Ritz, as well as for major rail and maritime transport companies[2]. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Christofle commissioned highly talented designers to produce avant-garde pieces, until it left the family in 2014.

Today, Christofle pieces can be found in the world’s greatest museums, such as the Louvre, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Grand Palais in Paris; the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MoMA in New York; the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum in London; and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, as well as on the tables of heads of state, embassies, ministries, and major institutions.

[1] The centerpiece was discovered in the smoldering ruins of the Tuileries Palace by Henri Bouihlet, nephew of Charles Christofle and vice-president of the company. It is now kept at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, in the state it was found.

[2] In 1935, for example, 40,000 pieces of silverware were delivered for the ocean liner Normandie.

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