German Baroque Classical silver wine beaker, 17th century. Urn bowl with three splayed ball supports. Clusters of fruits and vegetables and pendant ribbon bows. At top engraved presentation on occasion of child born in 1699. Gilt-washed interior. Marks include Nurnberg city stamp and maker’s stamp “I H / M”. Good condition with minor dents.

Overall dimensions: H 3 1/4 x W 2 5/8 x D 2 5/8 in. Weight: 2.2 troy ounces. #BW398

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pure silver) French tastevin. The bowl is engraved with repousse grape clusters and leaves in the 18th century style, but also with the more traditional raised “perles” and “coupules” seen in 19th century examples. The combination of the two is quite unusual. The handle is in the form of two snakes grasping an apple between their jaws—an element thought to stem from the Garden of Eden and intended to remind drinkers of temptation...

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pure silver) French tastevin. Rather than the typical “perles,” "coupules," and fluted “godrons”, the bowl is decorated with repousse grape leaves and berries in the 18th century style. This treatment is sometimes seen in tastevins made by Marc Parrod, one of the most influential makers of tastevins in the early 20th century...

French Silver Louis XVIII Burgundian Style Wine Taster Tastevin An unusually heavy first standard (950/1000 pure silver) French tastevin decorated in the classic Burgundian style with punchwork grape clusters and a coiled snake handle. The grapevines are also accented with engraved flowers. The bottom has the center pinpoint found in tastevins from this period and is finished simply with a ring or shallow godrons around the edge to help reflect light through the wine...

A very good first standard (950/1000 pure) silver small-size tastevin by the highly regarded Dijon silversmith Marc Parrod. This example retains the classic round shape with a convex bottom, but the usual "godrons" and "cupules" are replaced by repoussé grape clusters alternating with "cupules". Each grape cluster is accented with stylized vines. Parrod was particularly noted for this unique variation...

A very good first standard (950/1000 pure) silver small-size tastevin by the highly regarded Dijon silversmith Marc Parrod. This example retains the classic round shape with a convex bottom, but the usual "godrons" and "cupules" gare replaced by repoussé grape clusters alternating with raised "perles". Each grape cluster is accented with stylized vines. Parrod was particularly noted for this unique variation...

An elegant classic-style French silver tastevin of traditional form. The bowl is decorated with raised "perles", concave "cupules" and elongated "godrons" for assessing the depth of color in both red and white wines. The curved sides help concentrate the aroma, so only a very small amount of wine has to be poured to judge quality. The looped handle allows the tastevin to be worn suspended from a chain. Tastevins with round thumbpieces are generally from the Paris region...

A superb late 19th century first standard (950/1000 pure) silver berry spoon with a shell-form gilt bowl. These spoons were originally intended for serving strawberries. The front of the handle is decorated with a twisting wreath of holly leaves and berries, and the back with a similar wreath of thistles. The bowl is beautifully worked in the shape of a scallop shell. Improvements in agriculture and railways made strawberries widely available to the wealthy classes in the 1870s...

A wonderful boxed set of six 800 silver Jugendstil (“Art Nouveau”) demitasse or chocolate spoons, each featuring a scene from different Brothers Grimm fairy tales. The tales include “Bremen Town Musicians”, “The Frog Prince”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Hansel & Gretel”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and “Puss in Boots”. Bruckmann, one of the most important Imperial German silversmiths of the Jugendstil period, worked with many leading designers...

A classic 19th century French second standard (800/1000 pure silver) silver tastevin of traditional form and the bottom inset with a silver coin from the reign of Louis XV. The sides of the tastevin are decorated with the traditional raised “perles,” recessed “cupules,” and elongated “godrons” for assessing the depth of color and concentration of a wine...

A superb Rococo-style first standard (950/1000 pure silver) tastevin by the master silversmith Marc Parrod. This large example retains the round shape of a traditional tastevin but replaces the usual bowl decoration with ornate bunches of grapes tied with ribbon bows and a remarkable handle treatment illustrating a young couple stomping grapes while holding hands. Parrod created excellent classic Burgundian tastevins, but his fantasy pieces stand apart from all the other Dijon masters...

A classic 19th century 2nd standard (800/1000 pure silver) tastevin, inset at the base with a 1669 coin bearing the likeness of King Louis XIV surrounded by "Louis XIV by grace of God King of France and Navarre." The obverse of the coin can be seen from the bottom of the tastevin. The coin is surrounded by the typical pattern of "perles" and elongated "godrons" designed to create reflections in the wine to better judge its color and clarity. The handle is formed as a pair of intertwined snakes g...

A classic 19th century French silver tastevin of traditional form and the bottom inset with a silver coin from the reign of Louis XV. The sides of the tastevin are decorated with the traditional raised "perles" and recessed "cupules" for viewing the depth of color in a wine. The coin, dating to 1726, depicts the profile of the king surrounded by the legend "Louis XV, by grace of God, king of France and Navarre." The reverse of the coin can be seen from the bottom of the tastevin. The taster is c...

An elegant first standard (950/1000 pure silver) French silver tastevin in typical 18th century Burgundian style. Rather than with the typical "perles" and fluted "godrons", the bowl of this tastevin is decorated with repousse grape leaves and berries in the 18th century style. This treatment is sometimes seen in tastevins made by Parrod, but the particular decoration is different than any other we've seen. Similarly, the handle, in the form of two duck heads grasping an apple is a very exagg...

A lovely first standard (950/1000) silver tastevin, the bottom inset with a 1658 silver coin depicting the youthful image of Louis XIV surrounded by text translated as "Louis XIV, by grace of God, King of France and Navarre." The sides of the tastevin a decorated with clusters of grapes and elegantly curved godrons in the style typical of Orfevre Parrod. Coin inserts, however, are unusual in Parrod tastevins. The handle is worked in a simplified snake motif typical of Dijon. The handle is ...

A classic 19th century French 2nd standard (900/1000 pure silver) tastevin, inset at the base with a 1702 coin bearing the likeness of King Louis XIV surrounded by the legend translated as "Louis XIV by grace of god King of France and Navarre." The bowl of the tastevin is finished with the typical arrangement of "perles" and elongated "godrons" designed to create reflections in the wine to better judge its color and clarity. The handle is formed from a pair of intertwined snakes grasping an ap...

A classic 19th century French silver tastevin of traditional form and the bottom inset with a silver coin from the reign of Louis XV. The sides of the tastevin are decorated with the traditional raised "perles", recessed "cupules" and elgongated "godrons" for viewing the depth of color in a wine. The coin, dating to 1734, depicts the profile of the king surrounded by the legend "Louis XV, by grace of God, king of France and Navarre." The obverse of the coin, with sharp detail, can be seen fro...

A delightful early 19th century French silver tastevin featuring a 1770 Louis XV coin and a wonderfully decorated handle. The handle decoration depicts a man seated atop a wine barrel grasping a wine bottle in one hand and a Cupid's arrow in the other. The design is completed with the legend "Vive l'amour et le vin" ("Long live love and wine."). This type of handle was developed in the early 1700s and was used mostly in the Burgundy region. The use of real silver coins as a decorative elemen...