A LOUIS XV GOLD SNUFF-BOX

The son of a cobbler Germain Chayé was apprenticed to Claude Dargent at the age of fifteen. He registered his mark in 1755 sponsored by Jean-Charles Frémin when his address was given as the pont au Change. He lived here until 1787 when he moved to the quai de la Mégisserie. Chayé was ranked thirteenth in his guild in 1774 and was subsequently elected an official of the corporation eight years later. Gold boxes and étuis by Chayé can be found in the Louvre, at Waddeson Manor and in the Metropolitan Museum.