Rare antique French 1819-1838 Louis XVIII to Louis Philippe era hallmarked sterling silver 16pc dinner sized flatware set, a 4pc place setting for FOUR in the old Fiddle or "modèle violon uni" pattern with "M. Fumierre" engraved handles & wonderful condition! "Fiddle" describes the overall silhouette of the handle. It has a narrow stem that widens into a rounded, paddle-shaped terminal, resembling a violin. The French version is particularly important historically: the fiddle design originated in France around 1675 and became popular in England later in the 18th century. The forks & spoons bear the French Michel-Ange or Michelangelo hallmark, the tiny number "1" within those marks means they're in .950 silver (95% pure so above the .925 standard for "sterling" silver). Silversmith marks are for Jean-Joseph Rivet, 380 rue Saint-Denis, Paris circa 1815-1832. The knives are not original to the set, French tradition is that the giving of knives symbolized the "cutting of ties or relationship" so we've matched a similarly aged pieces and they are marked for Stephane Orfevre. Thick sterling silver flatware, heavy in the hand, elegant as you'd expect from early 1800s France!
Very good condition. The knives have pre-stainless steel blades so they do have some age tarnish/corrosion marks. The knife handles also have a hairline split or two, visible in the images (they're all stable and perfectly usable). Some light surface scuffs and a few knife marks to the fork tines, any flaws visible. See pictures for individual weights and measurements.
