Small and beautiful silver basket bowl made in Germany c 1890. Empire style boat shape, the reticulated and engraved decoration in Rococo style with flowers and rocaille ornaments. Marks for Martin Meyer in Mainz, a leading German silversmith (1888 - ), producer of cutlery as well as Jugendstil jewelry. German control mark: crescent and crown plus 800 for the silver content. On the border a French importation mark, in use from 1864 to 1893: a small insect, a weevil...

Very rare Imperial Russian silver child's fork with vermeil and engraved floral decoration. In fact, I've never before seen a piece of Russian children's flatware. The maker's hallmark on the back is slightly obscured by the design, but the assayer's mark (AA/1895), the standard mark (84), and the city mark (Moscow) are very clear.

Origin: Moscow, 1895. Condition: mint. Size: 4-3/4" long.

A Van Kempen Dutch sterling silver pierced serving spoon. This fine hand made and engraved Dutch sterling silver 6-1/8" pierced bowl nut or sugar sifter spoon is dated 1889. Made by Van Kempen & Sons (1858-1920) of Voorschoten Holland (The Netherlands), this serving spoon weighs 22.0 grams, and it is in excellent condition with no monograms, dents, bends, corrosion, losses, damage or repairs...

Very fine 19th Century European reticulated Silver Salt Cellar with original Cobalt Blue Glass Liner. In the shape of a fine basket and stands on 4 delicate legs. Condition: no breaks or bends to the silver and no chips or cracks to the liner. The base has a hallmark stamp. The tiny spoon illustrated does not belong to this silver cellar, i.e. acquired separately and is not sterling. Size of salt cellar: W. 8 cm. x D. 6 cm. x H. 4.25 cm.

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

A Wonderful Pair of German Silver (835 standard) Candelabra, Made in Germany, circa 1890. It has three arms and an Art Nouveau design. All bobeches are intact. Dimensions; 9.75" high x 11.5" wide. Weight; 15.5 Troy ounces each, slightly weighted. Excellent condition.

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...

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 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...

A very attractive late 19th century first standard (950/1000 pure silver) wine taster by Parisian silversmith Louis Coignet. The tastevin is decorated in the Bourgogne style with an applied handle in snake form. The serpent is beautifully decorated with engraved scales and eyes. The sides are enhanced with repousse and chased decoration of grape clusters and vine leaves. This example is classic form, but has a very steep convex bottom and no “godrons” or “perles” along the sides...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

An elegant second standard (800/1000 pour silver) French tastevin. Rather than the typical "perles" and fluted "godrons," the bowl is decorated with repousse grape leaves, berries and shells in the 18th century style. This treatment is sometimes seen in tastevins made by Parrod, one of the most influential makers of tastevins in the 19th and 20th centuries. The single snake handle, thought to represent the snake from the Garden of Eden reminding drinkers of temptation, has an unusually well-deta...

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. The handle is marked for...

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. The handle is in a rather unusual shape slightly suggestive of the double snake handle...