BY LES FRÈRES TOUSSAINT (FL. 1752-1803), MARKED, HANAU, CIRCA 1780, STRUCK WITH THE HANAU TOWN MARK FOR 19 CARAT GOLD, CROWNED LETTER K RESEMBLING THE PARISIAN DATE LETTER 1773/1774 AND A MARK RESEMBLING THE PARISIAN CHARGE MARK FOR 1768-1774

Charles (1720-1790) and his brother Pierre-Etienne Toussaint (1726-1806) were Berlin bijoutiers of Hugenot descent who arrived in Hanau in 1752. Such was their influence amongst the Hanau goldsmiths that by 1762 they were employing several German craftsmen and chasers. In 1773 Etienne Flamant, an expert guillocheur originally from Geneva, signed a contract with the leading Hanau goldsmiths for them to supply him with around 385 to 430 gold boxes for decoration every year. Les Frères Toussaint agreed to supply him with 160 gold boxes a year, an extraordinarily high number that they were unable to fulfil. The marks on the current box were used by the company after the signing of the agreement with Flamant in 1773.