1 - Jacques-Henri ALBERTI (Jacob Heinrich ALBERTI) (1730–1795), certified as a master silversmith in 1764 in Strasbourg

Jacques-Henri ALBERTI (Jacob Heinrich ALBERTI) (1730–1795), certified as a master silversmith in 1764 in Strasbourg Set of six faceted vermeil goblets, probably 1784. Weight: 791.1 g H_7 cm Master’s hallmark: “ALBERTI” spelled out in full within a rectangle Fine silver hallmark: the number “13” beneath a closed crown Charge mark Jacques-Henri Alberti (or Jacob Heinrich Alberti) was one of the leading figures in 18th-century French goldsmithing. He was born in 1730 and died in Strasbourg in 1795. Born into a family of artisans originally from the Palatinate, he trained in the art of metalwork and settled in Strasbourg, which was then France’s second-largest center of goldsmithing after Paris under the Ancien Régime. He was admitted as a master goldsmith in Strasbourg in 1764. His master’s mark features the letters “JHA” surmounted by a crown. Alberti later became a partner and played a central role in the Imlin family’s workshop, the most prestigious dynasty of Strasbourg goldsmiths. He married the widow of Jean-Louis Imlin III in his second marriage, which enabled him to lead this exceptional workshop and definitively establish his reputation among the high nobility and the Alsatian bourgeoisie. Related work: A round vermeil goblet is housed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg under accession number 33.004.0.85 Suggested bibliography: Hans HAUG, Strasbourg Silverwork in French Public Collections, Éditions des Musées Nationaux, Palais du Louvre, 1978 Étienne Martin, Two Centuries of Silverwork in Strasbourg: 17th–18th Centuries, Éditions des Musées de la Ville de Strasbourg, 2004