Jean PUIFORCAT - Sterling silver and ebony foie gras set, Paris c. 1920

Superb and rare foie gras service, also known as "hors d'oeuvre service", composed of four pieces such as foie gras shovel and fork, chutney spoon and spreader. The ferrules are decorated with gadroons. The forks, blades and spoon are in solid silver 950/1000, the handles in Macassar ebony.

Marks :
- Minerve 1er titre (French mark for solid silver 950/1000).
- Master goldsmith: Jean E. PUIFORCAT.

In a retailer's case.


Jean E. PUIFORCAT (1897-1945)

Born in 1897, Jean Elisée PUIFORCAT joined the famous family company in 1918. Founded in 1820 by Emile PUIFORCAT, the silversmith's house had become a prestigious institution, specializing in luxurious reinterpretations of the great cutlery styles of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Jean PUIFORCAT continued this activity, but made the company famous by placing it in the avant-garde, creating the lines of Art Deco silversmithing. His style is characterized by pure, geometric lines, combining the most luxurious materials of the period such as solid silver, precious woods, gemstones, ivory, shagreen... with impeccable finishing.

Rare and precious, this foie gras serving set perfectly illustrates Jean PUIFORCAT's vision of goldsmithing.


« Il s’agit d’exiger des objets utilitaires sans ornements, qui ne soient plus déguisés en autre chose, ce qui ne leur interdit pas d’être plus raffinés et éminemment précieux. La forme qu’impose la finalité est l’élément permanent de l’objet. C’est le désir d’en faire un mode d’expression qui leur donne son caractère constamment changeant ».
Jean PUIFORCAT, 1927.