A magnificent French serving bowl by Christofle — one of France’s most prestigious and storied maisons, founded in Paris in 1830 and long regarded as the definitive standard-bearer of French silverware and tableware. Supplier to Napoleon III and the great houses of Europe, Christofle’s pieces have graced the tables of royalty, heads of state, and the grand ocean liners of the 20th century. To own a piece bearing the Christofle mark is to own a fragment of French cultural history at its most refined.

This example combines deeply cut crystal with a polished silver plate rim, the two materials in perfect dialogue: the brilliance of the cut glass amplified by the cool lustre of the silver. The bowl is cut in a sunburst and leaf pattern of exceptional crispness, the facets catching the light with the kind of prismatic intensity that only fine French crystal achieves. The silver plate rim is clean and even, with the weight and finish of a piece made to the highest standard. A Christofle piece of this quality is both a functional object and a collector’s item — ideal on a dining table, a sideboard, or displayed as a decorative object in its own right.

Circa: 20th Century
Style: French Neoclassical / Belle Époque
Origin: France
Maker: Christofle, Paris
Material: Cut crystal; silver plate rim
Details: Sunburst and leaf cut pattern; polished silver plate rim; serving bowl form
Dimensions: 8” Diameter × 3” H
Condition: Very good condition; crystal bright and chip-free; silver plate clean and even