Christofle Antique silver plate coffee tea pot # 279544 France 1860 wood handle

Description

Absolutely stunning Antique silver plated coffee or tea pot from prestigious Christofle, France.  Markings on the bottom (279544, and the earliest hallmark stamp with scale and C's) dates this piece to between 1859 and 1861. This is truly a rare piece! The craftsmanship is remarkable, and despite the scars of its age, this is an exceptional example of French metalwork and innovation from an internationally treasured artist and craftsman.
CHARLES CHRISTOFLE
A VISIONARY
Charles Christofle founded the company that bears his name in 1830. Originally a jeweler, he bought the patents silver plating and electrolytic gilding of gold in 1842.
As a goldsmith, he transformed ceremonial items and everyday objects: from jewelry to cutlery, gold smithery to sculptures, and decorative objects to tableware.
This is how silver came to be an integral player in art of living today.
THE JEWELER
Charles Christofle was born in Paris in 1805 amongst small industrialists specializing in the manufacturing of buttons. The only boy in a family of four, he apprenticed with his brother-in-law Hughes Calmette, a manufacturer of "provincial" copper jewelry in 1821.
He took over the business 10 years later and in 1832 deposited his master's mark at the Garantie de Paris for "adornment". He developed his factory by positioning it towards export jewelry made of precious metal. The following year, he married Anne Henriette Bouilhet (1839 -1919) with whom he had two children, a daughter Marie Rose (1836-1918) and a son Paul (1838 -1907).