A Six Hundred Eighteen-Piece Maison Odiot Grimaldi Pattern Partial Vermeil Silver Flatware S...

Description

A Six Hundred Eighteen-Piece Maison Odiot Grimaldi Pattern Partial Vermeil Silver Flatware Service for Twenty-Four Including Banquet Service for Ninety-Six, Paris, circa 1900
Marks: (PR-oil lamp-CIE), MON ODIOT, 6527, (Minerva)
11-1/4 inches (28.6 cm) (largest, ladle)
33627 grams (1081.15 troy ounces) (weighable)
Monogram: MM


PROVENANCE:
Christie's, Monaco, Important Mobilier, Orfevrerie et Objets d'Art, December 10, 2000, lot 575;
Acquired from the above by current owner.

The service comprising:
96 table forks;
96 table knives;
30 dinner spoons;
24 melon forks;
24 fish knives;
23 fish forks;
24 oyster forks;
24 escargot/cocktail forks;
24 salad/fruit/dessert forks;
24 soup/fruit/dessert spoons;
24 cheese knives;
24 vermeil dessert forks;
24 vermeil dessert knives;
24 vermeil dessert spoons;
24 vermeil shovel-form ice cream/sorbet spoons;
12 vermeil coffee/teaspoons;
11 vermeil mocha spoons;
2 serving forks;
2 wide serving forks;
2 butter spreaders;
1 pierced spoon, sugar or jelly;
1 vermeil pierced spoon, sugar or jelly;
4 large (2 pairs) salad or vegetable serving forks and knives with vermeil bowls;
4 sauce ladles, oval bowls;
1 vermeil ice shovel;
2 vermeil serving forks;
2 vermeil rocaille/shell shaped serving spoons;
2 vermeil large ladles with pouring spouts on both sides;
2 vermeil sugar tongs;
2 vermeil large rocaille/shell shaped spoons;
4 vermeil cheese serving knives;
2 large meat carving knives;
2 large meat forks;
1 large fish serving knife;
1 large fish serving fork;
2 vermeil large ice cream/bombe servers;
2 vermeil large cake/pie servers;
4 vermeil large pierced serving ladles/spoons;
4 vermeil oval serving spoons;
2 vermeil sugar tongs;
2 large ladles;
4 large serving spoons;
1 large asparagus pincher/spatula;
2 pepper grinders;
8 salt cellars with cobalt liners;
8 vermeil salt spoons;
12 menu card or place card holders.
618 Total

This monumental flatware service of 618 pieces represents a grand undertaking by the renowned Parisian firm Maison Odiot. Executed in the Pearls pattern, it was later renamed the Grimaldi pattern after the royal family selected this design, which reflects the grandeur of the Second Empire and the refined table culture of the Belle Époque. Its dual identity as Grimaldi and Pearls underscores both the dynastic associations of the pattern and the enduring appeal of neoclassical motifs in French decorative arts.

Each piece bears the stamp "Mon Odiot Prévost & Cie," identifying production during the partnership of Odiot-Prévost & Cie (active ca. 1894-1906). While the service has occasionally been dated "circa 1920," the presence of this workshop mark supports a date closer to circa 1900. The combination of sterling silver and vermeil enriches the ensemble, with gilding reserved for serving implements and select presentation pieces.

The scale of the service reflects the elaborate dining practices of elite households at the turn of the century and the role of silver as a visible marker of wealth and social standing. It includes full dinner and dessert place settings, together with a wide array of specialized implements-serving forks, ladles, and utensils for fish, game, entremets, fruits, and sauces. Stored in eight bow-fronted drawers, red felt lined and fitted, each drawer is fronted with a silver plaque engraved and numbered to detail its contents. Every piece is marked by Odiot and engraved with the same monogram throughout.

Large Odiot services are known but seldom remain intact. Many have been divided or reduced over time, making this 618-piece ensemble an unusually extensive and well-preserved survival. It stands as a testament to Odiot's enduring reputation for excellence and the continued reverence for French craftsmanship at the dawn of the twentieth century.



Estimate: $100,000 - $150,000.

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