The dawn of the 20th century heralded a new destiny for the family workshop in the Marais district of Paris. Louis-Victor Tabouret, husband of Laure Puiforcat, herself a descendant of the founders, took the reins of this small family business, propelling the House of Puiforcat to new heights.
In his spare time, Louis Victor collected classic pieces of silverwork, later reproducing the finest creations in his workshop. Over the years, he acquired works by 16th and 17th century masters including Etienne Lebret, Nicolas Besnier, François-Thomas Germain, Martin-Guillaume Bennais and others, assembling a unique repertoire of models in the classic style.
Iconic beaker
Iconic beaker
The centerpiece of the goldsmith's collection gathered throughout his life by Louis-Victor Puiforcat, the Anne of Austria timpani is one of those precious objects fashioned by the exceptional know-how of the great goldsmiths of past centuries for the sovereigns of the royal courts. The story goes that Queen Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV, gave this little solid gold goblet as a gift to one of her servants, Anne Gabory. We cannot confirm this. This timpani nevertheless remains one of the rare examples of the gold tableware so appreciated by the monarchs of the 17th century.
Now kept in the Louvre Museum, it continues to inspire Maison Puiforcat, of which it is the emblem – the volutes of the silhouette that adorns its logo are directly inspired by the reflections of light on the twisted sides of the historic piece.
A sizeable art work
A sizeable art work
This magnificent set bears the name of the goldsmith who created the coffee maker which inspired the craftsmen of Puiforcat to create the complete service some two hundred years later. Indeed, Louis-Victor Puiforcat, a great goldsmith collector and owner of this coffee maker, asked his craftsmen to reproduce it and imagine the elements that could surround it to compose a complete set. It was he who then baptized the service with the name of François-Thomas Germain, a renowned goldsmith – he was notably goldsmith to the King of France but also that of many European courts – whose style marked 18th century goldsmithing.
Nowadays, the initial piece made by the goldsmith François Thomas Germain in 1755, is kept in the Louvre, like a large part of the collection of Louis Victor Puiforcat. It was King José of Portugal who made the express request to the talented French craftsman, following the death of the goldsmith attached to the Portuguese royal court.
The reproduction of the service by the Puiforcat workshop requires 2,500 hours of work, 90 of which are devoted exclusively to leveling the top using hammers and mallets.
The emperor's "lunch plate"
The emperor's "lunch plate"
This exceptional piece is a replica of an original work by Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843), goldsmith to Napoleon I from the start of the Empire. Composed of a tray and 4 closed compartments, this bezel was used as a “lunch dish” by the emperor during his military campaigns. The original coin is said to have been offered by the Emperor to one of his closest marshals, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, who later became King of Sweden and Norway in 1818. Later, it joined the collection of Louis-Victor Puiforcat.
The vermeil replica is typical of the imperial style with a strict partition of ornaments. The flat-bottomed circular bonbonniere is made up of four quarter compartments arranged around a central division. Each compartment is closed with a lid decorated with knurled friezes and a decoration of chiseled palmettes and presents a fretel in the shape of a hunting dog seated in the center of an embroidered rosette, or featuring an oak acorn and its cup for the central division.
For any questions or information about our prestige pieces, please contact our customer service on +33 (0)1 45 63 10 10 or by email at matignon.puiforcat@puiforcat.com, our teams will be happy to help you.
