Solid silver wedding cup, Dijon, 1778

Description

This solid silver wedding or ceremonial cup features a hemispherical bowl with a straight rim, supported by a moulded foot highlighted by a frieze of projecting gadroons. Two double-curved console handles, embellished with scrolls, are attached to the cup by cut-out terminals with scrollwork. On the exterior, a line-engraved patronymic inscription bears the names “GADAN G. DODEY”. Beneath the rim is a complete and highly legible set of Ancien Régime hallmarks from the Dijon jurisdiction: the charge mark with a crowned A and fleurs-de-lis, the Dijon guild mark for 1778 with the crowned letter P, the maker’s mark with the initials “IC” framing a chalice beneath a crown, attributed to the silversmiths Couleru, as well as a discharge mark. The object is dated 1778, during the reign of Louis XVI.