Ercuis Galet ashtray
When silverware serves your cigar.
Originally reserved for Kings and the Church, silverware has always had an elitist character. This was primarily due to the value and rarity of the raw materials used to produce it.
From the 13th century onwards, silverware gradually spread among the non-princely nobility. Over time, it spread among the wealthy classes, becoming a symbol of taste and good manners; thus contributing to the emergence and perpetuation of the arts of the table.
Reserved for the tables of the privileged for centuries, subject to the evolution of gastronomy, fashion and customs, silverware has gradually become dissociable from a certain French art of living, a tradition that Ercuis helps to perpetuate, while remaining a partner in the innovations of the intersecting worlds of decorative arts and gastronomy.
The history of Ercuis began in 1867 with Adrien Céleste Pillon, a priest from the small village of Ercuis in the Oise region, 50 km north of Paris, who founded a company specialising in "artistic silverware, enamelling in relief, copper plating, silvering, gilding and wire drawing". The company grew rapidly and a workers' housing estate was built, and in return, encouraging an influx of labour.
This growth allowed Adrien Céleste Pillon to open his first shop in Paris in 1880, enabling him to progressively abandon religious silverware in favour of tableware. It was not until 1886 that the Centaur hallmark appeared, a half-man, half-horse creature that became the brand's emblem. This hallmark is still stamped today on all the company's products.
Today, after having experienced the two world wars and having produced a line of original silverware engraved for the mythical Orient Express train and the ocean liner France, Ercuis, which has been part of the Comité Colbert since 1978, is one of the greatest names in French luxury and excellence.
Amongst others, chosen by Joël Robuchon to equip his famous restaurants L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris, London, New York, Las Vegas and Tokyo, the Maison Ercuis is a partner of the most renowned hotels and restaurants in the world. The numerous openings of palaces in Paris and throughout the world confirm Ercuis' privileged position in the luxury hotel sector, which represents an opportunity for tailor-made creations, such as for the Royal Monceau Raffles and the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris. Other prestigious establishments have continued to place their trust in this silversmith for decades.
The manufacture of each Ercuis piece, such as the Galet ashtray that we are presenting today, calls for numerous manual operations, carried out by silversmiths who are experts in carrying out the very particular stages of manufacture. This precious know-how inherited from the 19th century and passed on from generation to generation makes Ercuis one of the greatest French silversmiths. Ercuis presents a collection of shaped pieces with an elegant, timeless and contemporary design. A demanding and refined creation for collections dedicated to the pleasures of the table and entertaining. Moreover, Ercuis defines itself as a director of exceptional moments.
With its geometric and radical shapes, the Galet ashtray has quickly become an emblematic object of Ercuis' creation and know-how, embodying the silversmith's core values: simplicity, elegance and hedonism.
Delicately engraved with the effigy of The House of Grauer, this Galet ashtray will seduce the most demanding aficionados who want exceptional pieces.
Entirely made of silver plated metal, it will only need to accompany the aficionado on a daily basis to acquire its true patina and continue to perpetuate the "French Art de Vivre".
ERCUIS - Galet Cigar Ashtray - Silver plated
Dimensions : L16 cm x P8 cm
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