Oval tray with heraldic coat of arms, 20th century

Oval tray. France, Restoration period, ca. 1815-1820.
Punched silver. Silver 1st title.
Master goldsmiths:
Martin-Guillaume Biennais (Paris, 1764-1843).
Jean-Charles Cahier (Soissons, 1772 - Marseille, 1857), punch with interlaced initials registered in 1816.
Paris punches: revolutionary mark (Marianne, 1794-1797) and later system (Vieillard, 1798-1809).
Engraved heraldic shield.
Perimeter with vegetal fretwork.
Condition: good general condition, with light superficial scratches consistent with use.
Weight: 3.886 g.
Measurements: 43 x 72,5 x 4,5 cm.

Important oval silver tray that fits in the context of the refined Parisian production linked to the service of the Maison-Bouche during the Bourbon Restoration.

The punches and technical characteristics refer to the tradition of the great goldsmiths active between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in particular in the orbit of Martin-Guillaume Biennais, famous silversmith of Napoleon I, and of his successor Jean-Charles Cahier, who from 1816 worked as goldsmith to Louis XVIII and Charles X. The latter is documented as a supplier of pieces for the royal table service.

The tray is thus related to the re-establishment, from 1815, of the Maison-Bouche du Roi, an institution in charge of the preparation and service of the monarch's meals, a direct heir of the organization of the Ancien Régime. Under Louis XVIII, and despite a different political context, the ceremonial splendor of the court was deliberately recovered, commissioning the best Parisian workshops to renovate the royal table services.

In this context, the piece not only responds to a high technical level -visible in the purity of lines, the quality of the silver of the first title and the sober elegance of its profile-, but it is also part of a complex court system, in which the king's table was a central element in the representation of power.

The presence of the engraved heraldic shield reinforces its character as a prestigious object, possibly linked to an aristocratic or administrative environment related to these services.

Due to its quality, historical context and affiliation with the great Parisian goldsmiths of the Restoration, this is a piece of remarkable artistic and historical value.