c1870s French 950 Silver Manche A Gigot Leg of Lamb Joint Roast Bone Holder

Description

Presented is a lovely French silver "manche-a-gigot" or bone holder for roast carving. This piece dates to around the 1870s and was made by Charles-Alexandre Lavallee. The handle of the piece is made from French first standard silver, while the 'business end' is silver plated. It's worth noting that French first standard silver is 950 purity, which is a higher standard than sterling which is 925 purity. The handle of the piece is beautifully hand engraved with a design of small circles against a horizontal lined background, similar to the representation of ermine in heraldic engravings, with a foliate decoration near the top of the handle on each side. One side of the handle has a monogram of LFG inside a cartouche topped with a spearhead or fleur de lis design. The other end of the piece is essentially a vise, with a wingnut screw for tightening it around the bone of a roast or leg of lamb. This allows the roast to be held securely (and cleanly!) in place for carving.
This piece is in great overall condition. Curiously the monogram on the handle is actually a small piece of silver that has been soldered onto the surface of the piece, probably covering an earlier monogram. There are no conventional monogram removals that would thin the silver. The details of the designs are nice and crisp. The vise end functions nicely. There are no breaks, no splits, and no repairs.
This piece is stamped with the French Minerva hallmark for first standard (950 purity) silver, as well as the maker's mark for Charles-Alexandre Lavallee.
This piece is about 8 1/8 inches long.
This piece weighs 152 grams. Please note that because the grasping/vise end of the piece is silverplated and the handle filled, not all of this weight is silver.
-jm
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