Statuts et Priviléges du Corps des Marchands Orfévres Joyailliers de la Ville de Paris: An 18th Century Compendium of the Laws Governing Silversmithing in Paris

By the 18th century, hundreds of laws governing silversmithing in France had been enacted. Many had become outdated or were no longer enforced. The master smith Pierre Le Roy codified, for the first time ever, all of the applicable regulations into a single volume. Originally compiled in 1734, the book was revised in 1759, and it is this definitive version that is published here in a facsimile edition. In French, with an introduction in French and English, the book provides a window from which to observe the luxury trade of silversmithing. The statuts reveal, for instance, that the metal standard used by the smiths was the same as that used for the coinage of the realm, thus rigorously controlling the purity of the silver. The statuts also describe the strict moral and educational requirements for becoming a master smith. This book strengthens our understanding of how precious metal objects were made and marketed in the 18th century and why le poincon de Paris was renowned as the finest silver in Europe.