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Trade Card

ca. 1700 (engraved), Late 19th century (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Trade card of Jacques Thierce, goldsmith at the Golden Ewer in La Rochelle. The image and text are both engraved. The design is of massed ornaments and objects on a table-top, with the text beneath on the lower quarter of the card. The shop sign, which shows a decorated helmet-shaped ewer resting on a bench, is on an oval cartouche in the centre of the table-top contained within an elaborate frame. Below the cartouche is a smaller cartouche containing an oval shield with the arms of the Goldsmith's Corporation. Arranged around these and spilling out from two cornucopias are goods, including a tablet book, a ring, seals and buttons, dishes, a pearl necklace, flasks, a crozier, a monstrance and a box of jewels, whilst to the sides are more items on ledges including a candlestick, ewer, sugar caster, a knife and spoon, jewellery, and a jug and vase.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
engraving
Brief description
Trade card for Jacques Thierce, goldsmith and jeweller, La Rochelle. France, c.1700. Possibly a late 19th century impression.
Physical description
Trade card of Jacques Thierce, goldsmith at the Golden Ewer in La Rochelle. The image and text are both engraved. The design is of massed ornaments and objects on a table-top, with the text beneath on the lower quarter of the card. The shop sign, which shows a decorated helmet-shaped ewer resting on a bench, is on an oval cartouche in the centre of the table-top contained within an elaborate frame. Below the cartouche is a smaller cartouche containing an oval shield with the arms of the Goldsmith's Corporation. Arranged around these and spilling out from two cornucopias are goods, including a tablet book, a ring, seals and buttons, dishes, a pearl necklace, flasks, a crozier, a monstrance and a box of jewels, whilst to the sides are more items on ledges including a candlestick, ewer, sugar caster, a knife and spoon, jewellery, and a jug and vase.
Dimensions
  • Height: 7.625in
  • Width: 5.625in
Marks and inscriptions
A L'AIGUIERRE D'OR JACQUES THIERCE. Orphevre [sic]. Vend toutes sortes d'Ouvrages d'Or et d'Argent, Ouvrages d'Eglise, de Cuisine, et de toilette, toutes sortes de bagues, de Diamants, d'Eme- raudes et de toutes sortes de Pierres de Couleur, Boucles d'Oreilles, Boucles de Ceinture, generalement toutes sortes de Bijoux, il achette aussi le viel Argent Cassé et vieux galons brulez et toutes sortes de vieille vaiselle. (Translation courtesy of the Rothschild Collection, Waddesdon, who have another impression of this card in their collection database. (acc no. 3686.2.73.184))
Translation
At the Golden Ewer, Jacques Thierce. Goldsmith. Sells all sorts of gold work and silver work, metalwork for churches, kitchen ware and dressing-table objects, all sorts of rings, diamonds, emeralds and all sorts of coloured stones. Earrings, belt buckles, generally all sorts of jewellery. He also buys old broken silver and old burnished braid and all sorts of old vessels.
Object history
Philippa Plock, curator of the Rothschild collection at Waddesdon, has the following to say about their impression of this card (collection no.: 3686.2.73.184) and how it relates to our example.

'The design appears to have been based on the card of Wyriot, dated 1725, see 3686.1.52.98. Some motifs, for example the book at lower left of the image, appear to have been copied in reverse from Wyriot's card. The style of the card suggests an earlier date, however it may be a case of a provincial goldsmith having a Parisian card copied in an old fashioned manner.

There is a slightly different example of the card in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Prints and Drawings, E.216-1950, image and text size: 193 x 140, which gives Thierce's address as La Rochelle.

Jacques Thierce is not listed in Nocq, however there is a Siméon Thierce, active c. 1714, rue Saint- Louis, Paris, which may be a relation.'

- Phillippa Plock, 2008 (from Rothschild collection database)

Reference: Henry Nocq; Le Poinçon de Paris. Répertoire des maîtres-orfèvres de la juridiction de Paris depuis le moyen-âge jusqu'à la fin du XVIIIe siècle; 5 vols; Paris; 1926-1931. vol. 4, p. 47, on Siméon Thierce
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1950, London: HMSO, 1962.
Collection
Accession number
E.216-1950

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
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