Sugar tongs - .950 silver - 1850-1900 - Napoleonic sugar tongs

This beautiful sugar tongs are manufactured by Joseph-Louis Haegen, a renowned Parisian silversmith active during the Napoleonic era. The object features a gilded finish and a finely worked handle, typical of the elegance of early 19th-century Paris.
- Marks: Association des orfèvres 1793, master mark (JLH, motto ‘une corbeille de raisins’), guarantee mark Paris, 1st rooster (800/1000).
- Dimensions: Length 13 cm, width 2.5 cm.
- Weight: 29 grams.
- Condition: Very good, with a small break of an incised flower (see photos).
- Art-historical context: Sugar tongs like these were used in French salons for serving sugar. The Empire style is characterized by simplicity and functionality.
- Literature:
- L’Orfèvrerie sous Napoléon: Le Style Empire (A. Gruber, 2015).
- French Silver: The Napoleonic Era (C. Truman, 1998).
- Museum comparison: Similar sugar tongs can be found in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris and the Louvre, Paris.