Hildesheim treasure platter galvanic copper silver plated Maison Christofle

Maison Christofle.
Replica of the egg dish.
Silver-plated galvanic copper.
Circa 1874.



On October 17, 1868, a Roman treasure trove of 70 silver pieces dating from the 1st century BC was discovered in a small town in Lower Saxony called Hildesheim. This absolutely exceptional discovery, in terms of its wealth and state of preservation, is now on display at the Pergam Museum in Berlin.

In 1874, the Parisian firm Christofle was able to reproduce the 70 pieces of the treasure using the then-revolutionary technique of electroplating, which enables extremely precise copies to be made and a thin layer of silver to be applied using an electrochemical process.

This dish presents a variation of the model, with a cup, also from the Hildesheim treasure, fixed in the center. It bears the inscription "Trésor d'Hildesheim fac-similié galvanique Christofle & Cie" on the reverse.

Exhibition locations
Original model: Pergam Museum, Berlin
Reproduction by Christofle: Musée d'Orsay, Paris.