French Silver Plated Champagne Ice Bucket Lion Head Ring Handles 0711269

French silver plated champagne ice bucket

A handsome French silver plated champagne ice bucket -- a seau a champagne -- made in France by Saint Hilaire, whose name is stamped clearly on the base. The flared tulip form with its gadroon-trimmed rim and matching beaded foot ring is a classic of French hotel silver and table service, a style that flourished in the mid-twentieth century when every proper French dinner table kept a bucket chilled and ready.

What sets this piece apart are the two lion head ring handles, each cast with a well-defined mane and an expression of calm authority, holding a braided rope ring below. The overall silver plate retains a strong, bright polish with the warm reflective depth that comes only with age and use. Marked "Saint Hilaire France" on the underside -- a French silverplate manufacturer whose pieces appear regularly in French estate sales and hotel liquidations. On a bar cart, a dining sideboard or a kitchen shelf, it reads as quietly confident and classically French.

Condition and patina consistent with age. Light surface wear visible on the lower body, as expected from regular use; the handles and rim are intact and the piece stands solidly.

Approx. 8.1 in tall (20.5 cm).

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