Paul Crespin — Complete Guide to the Silversmith

Paul Crespin (1694–1770) is the second great name of the Huguenot silversmithing tradition in London — ranked alongside Paul de Lamerie as one of the two finest Rococo silversmiths working in England in the first half of the 18th century. Crespin's work is characterised by extraordinary naturalistic cast and chased ornament — shells, scrolls, foliage, figures and marine motifs executed at the highest level of the craft. He worked for royalty, the aristocracy and the most important patrons of his day. A genuine Crespin piece at auction commands prices in the tens of thousands of pounds; important pieces regularly exceed six figures.

Biography

Paul Crespin was born in London in 1694, the son of French Huguenot refugees who had fled France following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. His background was identical to de Lamerie's — a second-generation Huguenot craftsman trained in the French tradition of high ornamental silversmithing, working in London where the Huguenot community had resettled.

Crespin registered his first maker's mark at the London Assay Office in 1720. He worked from addresses in Compton Street and later Soho — the heart of London's Huguenot craftsman quarter. His career ran continuously until he retired in the late 1750s, and he died in 1770. He never sought the high-profile royal appointments that de Lamerie pursued, but he was no less productive or skilled, and his finest pieces are widely considered de Lamerie's equal.

Paul Crespin's Maker's Mark

Crespin registered several maker's marks during his career. The principal marks to know are:

• PC in a shaped cartouche (registered 1720) — earliest mark, used through the mid-1720s.
• PC in a shaped oval with pellet below (registered 1730) — the mark most commonly associated with his mature Rococo output of the 1730s–1750s.

All genuine Crespin pieces will carry the London Assay Office hallmarks alongside the maker's mark: leopard's head (London town mark), lion passant (sterling standard), date letter, and from 1784 a sovereign's head duty mark — though Crespin's activity ended before 1784, so duty marks do not appear on his pieces.

The Crespin hallmark of Rococo ornament: shells, scrolls and foliage at the highest level of 18th century craftsmanship.

Style and Technique

Crespin's work spans the transition from the Baroque formalism of the early 18th century into full Rococo exuberance by the 1730s and 1740s. Key stylistic characteristics:

• Cast and chased ornament — Crespin's applied decoration is of foundry quality. Shells, scrolls, acanthus leaves, swags and figural elements are typically cast separately and applied, then chased (refined by hand with punches after assembly). The result has a three-dimensional depth that die-struck ornament cannot match.
• Asymmetry — fully mature Rococo design deliberately avoids the mirror symmetry of Baroque. Crespin's Rococo pieces balance visual weight without mirroring it exactly.
• Marine and naturalistic motifs — shells, seahorses, sea gods, coral and waves appear frequently on Crespin's finest pieces, particularly sauce boats, tureens and centerpieces.
• Weight and gauge — Crespin made to order for wealthy clients who expected heavy gauge. His pieces have substantial metal weight and a solidity that later, more commercially driven production lacked.

Key Piece Types

Crespin's output covers the full range of Georgian domestic and presentation silver. The most important categories:

• Sauce boats — among the finest in English silversmithing. Crespin sauce boats with full cast shell-and-scroll ornament are landmark pieces.
• Tureens and covers — grand scale, heavy gauge, full Rococo ornament.
• Salvers and waiters — shell-and-scroll borders, gadrooned edges, applied arms and crests.
• Candelabra and candlesticks — cast and chased column shafts, multi-light branches.
• Tea services and coffee pots — pear-shaped forms with applied ornament and cast spouts.
• Presentation pieces — cups, vases and race cups for aristocratic and royal clients.

London hallmarks on 18th century silver: maker's initials, leopard's head, lion passant, date letter.

Crespin vs de Lamerie — The Key Differences

Collectors and dealers regularly compare Crespin and de Lamerie. Both are Huguenot, both Rococo, both London, both active c.1715–1755. The differences:

• Royal patronage — de Lamerie held a royal appointment from 1716; Crespin did not seek equivalent high-profile appointments, though he worked for aristocratic patrons at the same level.
• Volume — de Lamerie ran a larger workshop and produced more pieces. Crespin's surviving corpus is smaller.
• Auction frequency — de Lamerie pieces appear at major auction several times a year; Crespin pieces are rarer, which means attribution is more specialist work.
• Quality ceiling — at their best, most specialists consider the quality equal. Some major pieces are now known to have been collaborative between the two makers.

Crespin at Auction

Crespin silver commands serious prices at the major London auction houses (Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams). Indicative ranges:

• Small pieces (spoons, salt cellars, small waiters) — £2,000–£15,000
• Mid-scale pieces (cream jugs, sauce boats, single candlesticks) — £15,000–£80,000
• Major pieces (tureens, large salvers, pairs of candlesticks, presentation cups) — £80,000–£500,000+

The most important Crespin pieces have exceeded £1 million at auction. Attribution is everything — a piece incorrectly attributed to Crespin carries a fraction of the price; a piece correctly identified as Crespin commands a multiple.

How to Identify a Crespin Piece

• Check the maker's mark — PC in a cartouche or oval. The exact form varies; compare against reference sources (Jackson's Silver & Gold Marks, Grimwade's London Goldsmiths).
• Check the London hallmarks — leopard's head, lion passant, date letter all present and consistent with a date between 1720 and c.1758.
• Style consistency — Crespin's ornament is always cast and chased, never die-struck. Flat or repetitive ornament on a piece attributed to Crespin is a red flag.
• Weight — Crespin made to high gauge. Unexpectedly light weight for the apparent scale of a piece should prompt re-examination.
• Provenance — documented auction house history, sale catalogue entries or inscribed arms help confirm attribution.

Pitfalls

• Misread maker's marks — PC can be confused with PC marks for other makers. Exact punch shape, surround and size all matter.
• Later additions — 19th century Rococo-revival ornament is sometimes added to plain 18th century pieces. Check that chased ornament matches the metal gauge and hallmark date.
• Transposed marks — a known problem in Georgian silver generally: original hallmarks from a small piece (spoon, snuffer) cut out and let into a larger later piece. The hallmark sits proud of the surrounding metal.