A Duck Press by Maison Christofle of Paris
A Silver Plated duck press by Maison Christofle, decorated with palmettes and swept foliage, signed by the maker, and numbered 1873434
This press belonged to Mr. Alfredo Guedes, a wealthy Brazilian who resided in Paris at the turn of the last century, (uncle of the grandmother of the current owner). According to family tradition, this press was a gift from the restaurant La Tour d'Argent, ()founded in 1584, in Paris) where Alfredo was a habitue.
In 1890, Frédéric Delair, maître d'hôtel who became owner of La Tour d'Argent, codified the recipe for "Tour d'Argent duck" which would make the restaurant famous. He finished preparing the dish in front of the customer and accompanies it with an illustrious serving ritual, cutting the duck with the tip of a fork. The press is employed to extract the fluids generated during the cooking.
Maison Christofle, founded in 1830 by Charles Christofle (1805–1863), becoming silversmith to Emperor Napoleon the Third (1898-1873)and one of the major silversmiths in nineteenth-century France. The Parisian company still thrives.
Circa:1900.
Dimensions: Height 20; width 13; Depth 9 inches.