Type: Tea/Coffee Pot,Age: Pre-1800,Brand: N/A,Composition: 950 Silver,Year Made: c1756,Country of Origin: France Presented is an exceptional quality pre-Revolution French first standard silver side handle pot, likely a mocha or chocolate pot. This piece dates to circa 1756. The pot is made in a beautiful, classical French style, with a bulbous body skillfully hand chased with spiraling fluted decoration around the side and lid. The pot stands on three hoof style legs, with a shell and scroll design where they join the body. The spout is particularly well decorated, with almost a column design to it and a hanging garland across. The handle is beautifully turned in rich dark wood, contrasting very appealingly with the silver, which has a wonderful patina. It's worth noting that this piece is made from French first standard silver, which has a purity of 950 out of 1000 parts; this is a higher standard than sterling, which is 925/1000. The pot has a capacity of about 200 milliliters, or about 6.75 fluid ounces, so a very useable size for a bachelor teapot or coffee pot as well. This piece is in great overall condition, particularly for its age. There are, however, two old solder repairs: one where the handle attaches to the body, which is not extremely noticeable; and another slightly more prominent one around where one of the legs attaches to the body. These are hard solder repairs, not lead solder, and are likely themselves antique. We point these out in the eighth, ninth, and tenth photos. Otherwise there are some surface abrasions, but nothing of any significance. The details of the decoration are nice and crisp. There are no dents, no monograms, no monogram removals, and no leaks. The underside of the pot is stamped with French hallmarks: a Y with a crown above for maison commune/jurande, for the year 1756, guaranteeing silver purity of 958/1000, an R with a crown for the charge mark of the city of Orleans circa 1751-1762, and a maker's mark, that looks like III between a crown and fleur de lis. There is also a small touchmark to the interior rim of the lid. The pot stands about 5 1/8 inches tall at the tallest point and measures about 6 inches from handle to opposite side. This piece weighs 232 grams or 8.2 regular ounces.