Beautiful Antique Silver Asparagus Service Set By Soufflot ~Sold~

A Beautiful and Rare Antique French Silver Asparagus Service Set by Maître Orfèvre Henri SOUFFLOT.
This complete set is in its original box, which shows only light scruff marks on the outside of it but is in impeccable.
While finding Asparagus Tongs is still possible, finding a full set showcasing, Tongs and Spoon, is quite rare.

The Asparagus Tongs is beautifully carved out in solid silver with acanthus leaves and floral scrolls, and have a lovely balance in the hand.
The inside is slightly ridged to better hold the asparagus.
The handle is decorated with acanthus leaves and shows a monogram bearing the letters B and L.
The Sauce or Sour Cream Spoon is lovely with the same acanthus leaves and scrolls and the B and L monogram on the handle.

This Asparagus tongs is actually the exact same one that is showcased page 193 of David ALLANS’s beautiful book, ‘Le Couvert et La Coutellerie de Table Francaise au XIX”!

Both pieces are in perfect state! Absolutely no marks or scratches. A beautiful find!
Mind you, this set was originally created to help serves Asparagus, but when I found it, it was wrongly hailed as a Dessert Service Set!! It can actually be used as such, since the tongs can be used as pastry tongs and the spoon can also serve sweet cream!!
A versatile duo!

The tongs are 8.3 inches long
The Spoon is 8.1 inches long

The Hallmark is Minerva 1-1st title (950/1000)- 1838 -1919 – Paris

The Makers Mark is for ‘Maître Orfèvre’ Henri SOUFFLOT and shows an H and an S topped by a rising sun with a star stamped below the letters.
His Mark was registered in April 1884 and cancelled in 1910.
He held shop at 84 Rue de Turbigo in Paris.

Reference number: SST-147