Émile Puiforcat

Silversmith (1827–1883)

Émile Puiforcat is the silversmith who lent his name and hallmark to Maison Puiforcat, one of France’s most prestigious silversmithing houses. Founded in Paris in 1820, in the Marais district, the enterprise began as a cutlery workshop run by the Puiforcat family and Jean-Baptiste Fuchs. Émile progressively steered the workshop toward luxury tableware: flatware, services, dishes, and table luminaires. In 1857, together with Jean-Baptiste Fuchs, he registered the house’s hallmark: the initials E.P. flanking a pocketknife, a tribute to the workshop's origins in cutlery. Today, this mark identifies the house's antique pieces, renowned for the quality of their chasing and craftsmanship. The maison subsequently remained in the family. His great-grandson Jean Puiforcat (1897–1945) established it as one of the preeminent names in Art Deco silver and co-founded the Union des artistes modernes in 1929. Acquired by Hermès in 1993, Maison Puiforcat today serves as the group's haute orfèvrerie workshop.