7 - Jean PUIFORCAT (1897–1945)

Jean PUIFORCAT (1897–1945) A silver inkwell (950°/°°) with a flattened circular shape and contoured edges. The body is chased with compartments separated by stylized flowers; the center of one of these compartments is hollowed out to provide space for the pen. The hinged lid features an interlaced design of three water lilies and their stems. Silversmith: Jean Elisée Puiforcat (1897–1945): his signature in full: Jean. E. Puiforcat, and silversmith’s hallmark EP—a pocketknife within a diamond. Stock number stamped on the base: 2083. Made in Paris circa 1923. Gross weight: 356.2 g Diameter: 14 cm Height: 7 cm Jean Puiforcat (1897–1945) was one of the leading figures in the revival of French goldsmithing between the two world wars and one of the most accomplished representatives of the Art Deco movement. Born into a family of Parisian silversmiths—whose firm, founded in 1820, was part of the family business—he joined the family firm in 1918 and set out to radically renew its formal repertoire. Drawing on his training as a sculptor under Louis-Aimé Lejeune, he developed a visual language characterized by geometric precision, the simplification of forms, and the pursuit of a perfect balance between form and function. In contrast to the naturalistic compositions and exuberant ornamentation of Art Nouveau, his creations emphasize architectural structures, clean lines, and polished surfaces, to which solid silver lends a sculptural presence. The combination of solid silver with precious or semiprecious materials—such as lapis lazuli, onyx, jade, ivory, or ebony—also contributed to the development of a decorative vocabulary based on the contrast of materials and the emphasis on volume. His participation in the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925 helped establish his reputation and cement a renewed conception of goldsmithing, in which luxury lies less in the abundance of decoration than in the quality of the materials, technical mastery, and the precision of proportions. He was one of the founding members of the Union of Modern Artists in 1929. He died prematurely in 1945, leaving behind a relatively brief body of work that was nonetheless pivotal in the history of 20th-century goldsmithing. Jean Puiforcat’s work around 1923 marks an important stage in the development of his aesthetic language, at the crossroads between the decorative explorations inherited from Art Nouveau and the development of a vocabulary fully rooted in the modernity of Art Deco. At this time, the silversmith was engaged in an in-depth exploration of the construction of volumes, the simplification of lines, and the highlighting of silver’s sculptural qualities. His creations are distinguished by a gradual geometrization of forms, balanced proportions, and an architectural conception of the object, in which each element contributes to the coherence of the whole. This formal exploration was accompanied by a marked interest in combining contrasting materials, particularly silver and certain natural or colored materials, which introduced textural and polychromatic effects into his compositions. The presentation of his creations at the 1923 Salon des Artistes Décorateurs marked, in this regard, a significant milestone in the recognition of his work. Bibliography: Bonneville, Françoise. Jean Puiforcat. Paris: Éditions du Regard, 1986. Comparable piece: A candy box decorated with water lilies, featuring a comparable lid, held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (Acquired through the patronage of Michel and Hélène David-Weill, 2003. Inv.: 2003.69.1.1-2). -Puiforcat: Master Silversmith, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, September–December 2002, 2002. -Hélène David-Weill. President and Patron. Les Arts Décoratifs (collective work). Paris: Les Arts Décoratifs, 2013. 239 pp. 14x7 cm Expert: Florian Doux