Absolutely gorgeous & rare antique French 18k gold on hallmarked silver (vermeil) 14pc liqueur set including two slender 10" decanters with shot glass or cordial service for twelve, all with elegant French Empire style raised gold enamel decoration and wonderful condition! Beautiful! Just in from France and what a wonderful set. Rare to find it complete and with as little signs of age as evidenced here! Exceptional! Very French Empire, the raised gold enamel with laurel & cornucopia wreath shaped medallions, tied at the bottom with bow & ribbon and garland swags all encircling the centers of the decanters. Thick gold enamel collars with faceted crystal stoppers that shimmer like diamonds. The bases of the decanters and cups in hallmarked French vermeil, the shape of the Minerve or Minerva hallmarks and tiny number "2" within means the gold plating is on .800 silver rather than sterling (80% silver purity or better according to French silver reference guides so just under the .925 standard for "sterling" silver). The silversmith marks are for Ernest Combeau, Paris circa 1914-1924 so they straddle the strict definition of antique (100yrs old). A glorious set, donât miss it!
Very good condition. There is some slight wear to the gold plating on some pieces, not enough to take away from the overall beauty of the set but worth noting. One of the cups has two small chips to the gold rim (shown in images). See pictures for all individual measurements.
