書評

This hardcover book with 400 color pages presents the French silver cutlery of the 19th century.
This book presents a large number of service parts, many of which are no longer used today:
Tea strainers, nutcrackers, lemonade spoons, foie gras servers, caviar knives, snail tongs, shellfish forks, asparagus tongs, carving sets, lobster crack, joint grips, ladles, grapefruit service, grapes scissors, absinthe spoons, sweetmeat services, mustard spoons, fish services, cheese knives, champagne scissors, jam spoons, sauce spoons, tart / pastry servers, sugar spoons, crumb scoops, Christening services among many others.
This book also shows the various trends that have marked the evolution of cutlery: from Japanese style to Art Nouveau in the late 19th century.

This book includes a biography of 115 silversmiths with their maker's mark, including

Adoue, Alfénide, André, Aucoc, Auzoulle, Bardiès, Barrier, Benvenisti, Berthier, Bock, Boin, Boivin, Boucheron, Boulenger, Boyer-Callot, Bruneau, Bunet, Buzot, Cailar Bayard, Callot, Canaux, Cardeilhac, Chevron, Christofle, Coignet, Collet, Compère, Cordonnier & Granvigne, Corvoisier, Crossard, Deetjen, Delacquis, Desreux, Devaux, Ercuis, Ernie, Follot, Fouquet-Lapar, Frénais, Gabert, Gavet, Gerock, Gibert, Gilles, Gillot, Girard, Gorham, Granfigne, Haek-Hourdequin, Hénin, Henry, Huignard, Jacquemin, Jamet, Jovet veuve, Labat & Pugibert, Ladoucette, Lambert, Languedocq, Lapar, Lapeyre, Laporte, Laslier, Lappara & Gabriel, Lefebvre, Leneuf, Lerat, Linton, Linzeler, Maillard Frères & Vazou, Malique, Massat, Méricant, Molle, Montier, Mosgau, Murat, Nicoud, Noiret, Odiot, Pagé, Parisot, Poault, Puiforcat, Queillé, Ravinet & D'enfert, Raynaud, Recka, Roussel, Ruolz, Schifferlet, S.F.A.M., S.P.O., Soufflot, Tétard, Thomas, Tirbour, Tribaudeau fabriques G. Veyrat, Wolfers...

as well as the reproduction of catalogue plates of silversmiths of the 19th century like

Boivin, Boulenger, Coignet, Murat, Olier & Caron, Orfevrerie Deetjen, Puiforcat, Ravinet & d'Enfert.

Contents:

• Preface by Jacques Attali
• Foreword by Zeef Gourarier
• Introduction by David Allan
• Abreviation and glossary
• Table Service
• A 19th century Table Setting
• Manufacturing Cutlery in the 19th century
• PART I: Place pieces
• PART II: Serving pieces
• Biographies of silversmiths
• Bibliography
• Index of silversmiths
• Silversmiths' Catalogue plates of the 19th century

The English texts are written by David Allan with a foreword by Jacques Attali.