HERE IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE BEST CHRISTOFLE SET
IF YOU GOOGLE IT YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE NO SETS LIKE THIS ONE
IN THE BEST ART DECO DESIGN
"LAOS" BY CHRISTOFLE
Rare
cabinet of cutlery, model «Laos» shown during the Exposition International of
1937, in Paris. The design, for this prestigious model, once attributed to the
designer Christian Fjerdingstad, has since been attributed to Luc Lanel. It is
made in silver plated metal .
All for the pieces are stamped «Christofle» and carry the silver plated metal
hallmark of the master silversmith during the period from 1862 until 1935
(monogram CC). Bibliographie: Henri
Bouilhet, «Christofle 1830-1980-150 ans d'orfèvrerie», édition Chêne / Hachette
1981 Paris, modèle reproduit page 238. Nous remercions Anne Gros responsable du
musée Christofle pour cette authentification. We thank Anne Gros, in charge of
the Christofle museum, for this authentication
AS FOLLOW
1 SOUP LADDLE................................12 INCHES/30CM
1 MEAT KNIVE....................................12 1/4INCHES 31 CM
1 MEAT FORK.....................................10 1/2 INCHES /27CM
1 SALAD SERVING SPOON...............10 INCHES/25,5CM
1 SALAD SERVING SPOON/FORK....10 INCHES/25CM
1 SAUCE LADDLE..............................7 1/2INCHES/19CM
1 FISH SERVING FORK.....................10 1/4INCHES/26CM
1 DISH SERVING KNIVE....................11 1/2INCHES/ 29CM
1 ICE CREAM SERVING SPOON.......9 3/4INCHES/25CM
1 CAKE SERVING LADDLE................101/2INCHES /27CM
1 CAKE SERVING FORK....................9 INCHES/23CM
1 ICE LADDLE.....................................5 1/2INCHES/14CM
1 i DONT KNOW FOR WHAT IS????? IF YOU CAN HELP ME i WILL APRECIATE IT!!! THE LAST PHOTO
13 PIECES TOTAL
VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU BUY THE OTHER SET i WILL MAKE YOU 50% DISCOUNT FOR THIS PIECES
The name Christofle evokes both
the concept of innovative modern design and the elegance of a bygone era. Today
the company, headed by Maurizio Borletti who is the 6th generation of the
family, continues their tradition as purveyors of fine design and superior
quality cutlery, hollowware, dinnerware, crystal, jewellery and gifts. Thanks
to a selective distribution system, Christofle today has become an
international luxury brand with a retail distribution network.
Christofle Orfevrie was established in 1837 by Charles Christofle. It has been
a continuous innovative force and has infused each era with a new art of
living. Over time this prestigious company has revolutionised styles,
techniques and methods for the production and distribution of silver plate and
the decorative arts. A player in, and privileged witness to, the evolution of
taste, customs and traditions, Christofle has always seen its name associated
with major creative trends, renowned artists such as Man Ray or Jean Cocteau,
avant-garde architects such as Gio Ponti and modernist silver smiths such as
Lino Sabattini and Christian Fjerdingstad as well as present-day designers such
as Martin Szekely, Christian Biecher and Andree Putman. Today, as in the past,
whether gracing the tables of emperors, princes or maharajas, in palaces, on
board the Trans-Siberian Railway, Orient Express or transatlantic ocean liners
or in contemporary restaurants, Christofle continues to make an impression.
Cutlery:
Christofle cutlery is world famous not only for its
quality but also for the comprehensive range of patterns offered (from ultra
modern to traditional, encompassing classical and formal styles) that include
an extensive range of serving pieces and accessories in silver, sterling and
stainless.
Silver plate
Electro plated nickel silver (EPNS) with 33 gms of
silver per 1000gms of metal. This process fuses sterling silver onto a nickel
silver base by electrolysis. The Christofle EPNS process involves 26 steps with
quality control at each step.
History
1793 |
André Christofle, living in the Marais district of Paris founded his
own company manufacturing ‘paillettes and metal strips’. |
1804 |
Isidore Christofle, silversmith, (brother of André Christofle)
registered the first hallmark of master ‘Christofle’. |
1820 |
Charles Christofle began working as an apprentice to his
brother-in-law, Parisian jeweller Hugues Clamette. |
1830 |
Charles Christofle took over the jewellery business of Hugues Clamette
and from then on he became one of the most important jewellers in France,
employing approximately fifty specialised workers. He was backed by his elder
sister Rosine, who had married the wealthy French notable Joseph Bouilhet.
Christofle began to expand his company, with the old wealth of the Bouilhets
to assist him. From the start Christofle looked toward the international
arena. Among the company's commissions was the crown for Queen Ranavallo of
Madagascar and a series of ceremonial swords produced for customers
throughout Latin America. By the end of his first decade as head of the
family firm, Christofle had driven sales to more than FFr 2 million. |
1837 |
The death of Joseph Bouilhet left his widow Rosine Christofle-Bouilhet
in charge of the family's fortunes. Charles Christofle himself became part of
that fortune when Rosine persuaded her daughter to marry her much older
uncle. Rosine Bouilhet's other child, Henri was just seven years old at the
time of his father's death and he was to play a still more central role in
the development of the family empire.
|
1842 |
The patents to make use of the process of silverplating and gold
plating by electrolysis were purchased from the Elkingtons.
He also negotiated to purchase the patents held by the French chemist
Count Henri de Ruolz - this was a brilliant strategic move. |
1844 |
One of the very first factories in the world to use electricity was
opened. This was a large factory (that was in operation until 1933) on the
Rue de Bondy in the République district of Paris facility. This was entirely
dedicated to the new plating techniques, placing the whole of the family
business's future on the success or failure of this new endeavour.
Now thanks to new electrolysis processes objects are simply dipped in
vats. Connected to the cathode of an electric source, they are coated with
molecules from a sheet of precious metal that is connected to the anode and
dissolves when subjected to an electric current.
But he found few customers for his plating techniques. Indeed, the
company was quickly confronted by a growing number of counterfeit products |
1845 |
Charles Christofle founded ‘Charles Christofle et Compagnie’ along
with several associates. He stamped all silver plated metal pieces with a
hallmark in order to guarantee quality of the silver used for his plated
objects and he was compelled to take legal action against numerous rival
imitators. Backed by the Bouilhet fortune, Christofle successfully defended
his exclusive patent rights before the French tribunals. Christofle had already established the company's silverplating to a
far higher percentage (92.5 percent) of silver than his competitors.
Meanwhile, unable to find commissions for his plating technique, Christofle
decided to launch the family into the production of its own line of products. |
1846 |
Christofle extended his factory's production to include a variety of
objects, especially related to table service. In this he seemed to have
captured the spirit of the times, as a rising class of French bourgeoisie
began to aspire to similar luxuries as the country's fading nobility. The
so-called 'arts de la table' suddenly became part of the required dining room
furnishings. Christofle offered the new ‘middle class’ silverware and table
service with the same commitment to quality but far less expensive than
traditionally crafted sterling silver items. Before long, the Christofle name
became something of a generic name for silver-plate.
Christofle also proved to have a strong commercial sense. Hiring a
dedicated sales staff, he arranged a number of contracts with retailers
worldwide. In exchange for giving a merchant the exclusive right to sell
Christofle's products in a particular town, Christofle claimed space in the
merchant's street-side shop windows and the retailer agreed to carry only
Christofle's line of table service in his shop. At this time, Christofle also
established the Pavillon Christofle retail store in Paris. |
1851 |
Napoleon III ordered a service for the Chateau des Tuileries and
Christofle was named ‘silversmith to the king’ and ‘purveyor to the emperor’.
Christofle received a prize medal at the 1st World’s Fair held in London.
This was the first in a very long succession of prizes and awards. |
1852 |
Henri Bouilhet, nephew (and brother-in-law) of Charles Christofle,
joined the company. He was a graduate of the École Centrale des Arts et
Manufacturers. As an engineer and an artist he perfected the industrial use
of the electroplating process. |
1854 |
Christofle opened a factory at Karlsruhe, Germany. |
1855 |
Emperor Napoleon III appointed Charles Christofle official purveyor to
the court. |
1860 |
In France a law was passed requiring hallmarks for pieces of silver
plate and Jules Garnier discovered one of the world’s largest natural
deposits of nickel in New Caledonia. |
1863 |
Charles Christofle died at the age of 58 and the business was taken
over by Henri Bouilhet (1830 – 1910) who expanded the company's business and
firmly established the business's industrial approach to luxury goods. This
was a departure from the traditional artisan-based industry of the time.
Bouilhet was a shrewd businessman and also an astute engineer. He was
partnered in his tenure by the son of Charles Christofle, his cousin, Paul
Christofle (1838-1907). The cousins followed Charles’s strategy of expansion
by opening new markets, introducing new technical developments and expanding
the factories
|
1868 |
The world’s largest electroplated piece was fabricated. It was the
statue for the church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. |
1869 |
Christofle created the monumental electroplated pieces for the Paris
Opera House. |
1876 |
Christofle entered into an exclusive agreement with Jules Garnier to
use his nickel ore. The same year the Saint-Denis factory was opened. It is
still in operation today and is dedicated to the manufacturing of Haute
Orfèvrerie (following the example of haute couture). It also contains a
museum devoted to the history of the company. |
1880 |
Christofle exhibited an exceptional piece at the Metal Arts Exhibition
in Paris. This was the beautiful Art Nouveau coffee pot designed by Heni
Carrier-Belleuse called Lúnion fait le succès (success through unity). |
1882 |
Christofle received the commission for the renowned ‘Nawab Bed’ that
required, among other things, nearly 640 pounds of solid silver. |
1883 |
Christofle outfitted the Orient Express. |
1888 |
Christofle purchased Alfenide, their strongest competitor in
silverplated flatware. |
1897 |
Christofle opened their showroom at 12 rue Royale in Paris. It
remained at that address until 1992 when it moved to 9 rue Royale. |
1898 |
Christofle outfitted the Ritz Hotel and developed a new alloy for their
art nouveau line. This trademark name applied to a new alloy, similar to
pewter but more durable, Gallia metal was ideally suited to casting and less
expensive to manufacture and plate. The Gallia line opened a new market of
high quality goods at more affordable prices. |
1921 |
Christofle closed the factory at Karlsruhe, Germany and transferred
all its manufacturing operations to the factory in Saint-Denis. |
1924 |
Two factories were opened - one at Mussoco (Italy) and the other at
Pesseux (Switzerland) |
1926 |
The company listed on the Paris stock exchange as it was seeking
capital. |
1928 |
Gio Ponti created the Fleche (arrow) candelabra whose forms foreshadow
70’s design |
1929 |
The company was hit hard by the Depression that helped to wipe out
much of its remaining customer base. Combined with management by a series of
short-lived family members these were hard times for Christofle. It was
regrouped under Tony Bouilhet (1897-1984). He was Henri Bouilhet's grandson
(and great-grand nephew of the founder, Charles Christofle). Tony’s great
grandmother was Rosine Bouilhet-Christofle. One of the more fortuitous
decisions made by Tony Bouilhet was his marriage to Carla Borletti
(1907-1992) a member of a wealthy Milan-based family. |
1930 |
Christofle was reincorporated as a public limited company, becoming
Christofle SA. The Borletti family became major shareholders and important
financial backers into the next century.
|
1932 |
Tony Bouilhet became the head of Christofle. |
1933 |
The classic Cygne (swan) gravy boat was created by Christian
Fjerdingstad. This item is still in the collection. |
1935 |
Christofle created a 45,000 piece service for the Normandie ocean
liner. |
|
Machinery was confiscated by the German occupation forces and the
silver market collapsed presenting a new interruption to Christofle's growth. However the great economic expansion of the postwar period helped the
company achieve a new scale of international expansion. |
1950 – 1952 |
Tony Bouilhet called upon his son Albert to establish a production and
distribution subsidiary in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other subsidiaries
followed in the United States, Italy, Belgium and Germany |
1951 |
Christofle opened a production and distribution subsidiary in Buenos
Aires. The company once again succeeded in establishing an international
reputation for its high quality, luxury products. At the same time Christofle
maintained its market leadership in France where the company represented more
than 50 percent of the market. |
1959 |
Henri Bouilhet was named creative director of Christofle. |
1960 |
The Bouilhet-Christofle Museum was opened and, with more than 2,000
pieces on display, presented a vast panorama of creations executed by six
generations of one family that succeeded each other from 1830 to the present
day. The themes evoked illustrate the various silver smith's techniques, the
evolution of decorative arts over 170 years and table traditions in the 19th
and 20th centuries. The first part of the museum, devoted to the birth and
growth of the Christofle company, reflects the historical evolution of the
1830-1880 during which royal and imperial commissions and Asian art trends
such as Naturalism, Orientalism and Japanism succeeded each other. The second
part presents a panorama of Christofle creations up to World War I: Art
Nouveau, the outfitting of luxury hotels and agricultural competitions. The
techniques of the silversmith are displayed as well with explanations and
examples of electroplating, cloisonné enamel, guillochage and many more. The
archives (including 40,000 documents) are open to the public by appointment. |
1969 |
Albert Bouilhet became president of Christofle and his younger brother
Marc the Marketing Director. |
1971 |
An ultra modern facility is opened in Normandy solely for the purpose
of producing flatware. It is capable of producing 5 million pieces of cutlery
per year. |
1974 |
Company opens production and distribution subsidiary in Brazil. |
1984 |
Tony Bouilhet died at the age of 87. |
1993 |
Maurizio Borletti at the age of 26 takes over company operations. |
2005 |
The Vertigo collection (Andrée Putman) is launched |
Among the most sought after pieces created by
Christofle are: The Art Deco designs of Christian Fjerdingstad (1891-1968) of
Denmark, Gio Ponti (1891-1979) of Italy, Edouard-Marcel Sandoz (1881-1971) of
Switzerland, Louis Süe (1875-1968) of France, Andre Mare(1885-1932) of France,
Paul Follot (1877-1941) of France, Luc Lanel (1893-1965) of France, the
Mid-Century Modern designs of Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) of Finland and Lino
Sabattini (b.1925) of Italy and the Post-Modern work of Roger Tallon (b. 1929)
and Andrée Putman (b. 1927) of France and Gae Aulenti (b 1927) of Italy
.
Christofle is a French silver firm known to make the best silver plated flatware and serving pieces in the world. Christofle had many commissions by French royalty and aristocracy during the second half of the 19th century during the era of Napoleon III. Their pieces are highly sought after because they are so very heavily plated, unlike plate found anywhere else in the world.
They also fitted the dining rooms of the finest hotels and ocean liners in European history. The quality is equal to that of
other European companies.
.
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CONDITIONS very good
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