A Lovely French Gilt Silver and Cut Crystal Ice Bucket by Maître Orfèvre Emile Puiforcat.
The simple and elegant ice bucket shows a tapped shaped ending with the simple double lined vermeil circling the rim.
The Crystal is attributed to Baccarat.
The handles are also in crystal.
The Hallmark is Minerva 1-1st title – 1838 -1919– Paris
The Makers Mark is for ‘Maître Orfèvre’ Emile PUIFORCAT.
The Makers Mark is for Emile PUIFORCAT, and was registered in 1857; it features an E and a P separated by a standing feather.
The mark is still so famous it does deserve a bit more explanations:
Emile PUIFORCAT inherited the business from his uncle Jean Baptiste FUCHS who specialized in flatware in the early 1800s. Emile Puiforcat moved from the offices of his uncle right next door at number 18, then 16 of Rue Chapon. While he died in 1883, his mark was kept by his successor as well as his grandson Jean, who passed away in 1945.
Until the 1880 the House of Puiforcat remained in the flatware business, but expended into the larger pieces to include presentations plates and platters.
Though very praised for its craftsmanship PUIFORCAT never participated in the Fairs that did so much for the Silver business in the 1800. The house continued on through the years and was finally bought by Hermes in 1993.