Beautiful antique French solid 800 silver Art Nouveau mistletoe (Gui) menu holder stamped with the Paris Boar's Head Guarantee Hallmark and Pattern 4255, circa 1900. This Art Nouveau menu holder (also known as a porte-menu or place card holder) is explicitly designed with a mistletoe (gui) motif. In France during the Art Nouveau period (circa 1890–1910), mistletoe was a popular and symbolic decorative motif used to celebrate the New Year, representing good luck, prosperity, and long life. These pieces were designed with a heavy, flat-bottomed base or a hidden support slot at the back, so they sit directly on a formal dining table, holding a small card detailing the evening's courses or guest names.
The Upper Hallmark - (The Wild Boar / La Hure de Sanglier)
The combination of the wild boar’s head (hure de sanglier) and the words "PARIS" and "METAUX" provides the exact regulatory context for this piece. The profile of a boar's head is the official French minimum silver guarantee hallmark (poinçon de petite garantie) used in Paris from 1838 onward. It certifies that the item is solid silver with a minimum purity of 800/1000. The text border containing "PARIS" and "METAUX" signifies that the piece was processed or manufactured by the Compagnie des Métaux de Paris or by a registered Parisian metallurgical union/foundry active in the late 19th or early 20th century.
Because this object sits entirely flat, is cataloged under production number 4255, and features a highly coveted, solid-silver Art Nouveau mistletoe aesthetic.
The Lower Hallmark (The Diamond Maker's Mark)
This is a rhombus or diamond-shaped stamp featuring parallel horizontal or vertical background lines. At the center of the diamond sits a stylized silhouette symbol—resembling a partial initials monogram or a symbolic miniature icon (such as an animal head or tool) — flanked by tiny letters. The diamond frame (le poinçon de maître) is the legally required geometric shape reserved exclusively for French manufacturer/silversmith marks. Every certified French silversmith was required by law to register a unique symbol paired with their initials inside this diamond outline.
The presence of the official Parisian boar's-head guarantee stamp, paired with a specific industrial foundry stamp (Paris Métaux), makes this an incredibly well-documented piece of French decorative history. It appeals equally to collectors of Art Nouveau gui objects and specialized French silver hallmark enthusiasts
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