Listed a Historic Monument by ministerial decree on December 29, 1975
Embossed and gilded silver
14th and 15th century
Le Mans, Musée Jean-Claude Boulard – Plantagenet section
Inv No. 2009.1.1.0
This treasure comprises 31 pieces of civilian silverware (spoons, cups, goblets and a feeding bottle holder) belonging to two eras not far apart but clearly identifiable: the first half and the last quarter of the 14th century. This is the tableware used by brethren at the Hôtel Dieu in Le Mans. They served this religious establishment and hospital at the beginning of the 15th century. The pieces are all the same, suggesting there were bulk orders to supply the brotherhood with silver tableware.
The names of the Coëffort brothers were engraved on the bottom of cups as they joined the brotherhood. Thanks to the surnames, in Gothic script, preceded by a first name or an initial, we can identify four priests and a procurator among the owners of these objects:
- Brother Gervasius Pezé (procurator),
- Louis Bonhommet (priest),
- Pierre de la Roche (priest),
- Jean Drouet (priest),
- Gervais Montelet
In addition to the inscriptions in Gothic letters, most of the items bear goldsmiths' hallmarks (18 items in total, of which 14 bear the hallmark of the same master goldsmith). Through these hallmarks, we can attribute the creations partly to Parisian masters, and partly to Le Mans goldsmiths.
Among the remarkable pieces presented in the exhibition we find:
- A partially gilded silver goblet bearing a decorative inscription in the centre: MATER DEY MISERERE MEY (an invocation to the Virgin Mary). A virgin and child is engraved on the base inside the goblet.
- A footed cup bearing a translucent enamel medallion on an engraved background representing Saint John the Baptist carrying the lamb.
The Coëffort Treasure was buried under the floor of the sick ward in the Hôtel Dieu in Le Mans in the middle of the Hundred Years’ War. English incursions intensified in Maine between 1417 and 1425 (when Le Mans was under siege), and the Coëffort Hôtel Dieu, located in suburbs of Le Mans, was particularly vulnerable. It was undoubtedly this unstable situation that prompted the brothers to bury their precious tableware.
The Coëffort Treasure was rediscovered in 1953 when the building was undergoing restoration work (the former Hôtel Dieu is now the Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc parish church). It was found in a stone sarcophagus buried about 80 cm below the floor of the sick ward. The discovery of this treasure was kept secret for more than 20 years, until 1974. During this time, the items remained at the presbytery before being handed over to a retired jeweller who restored some of them for free.
1/ Goblet
Embossed and gilded silver, hallmark with the initials GL
15th century
Le Mans, Musée Jean-Claude Boulard - Plantagenet section
Inv No. 2009.0.1.1
A virgin and child is engraved on the base of the goblet. On the outside and in the middle of the belly, a decorative band alternates between plant scrolls and inscriptions in Gothic characters: MATER DEY MISERERE MEY (an invocation to the Virgin).
2/ Footed cup
Embossed silver with a medallion, no hallmark
15th century
Le Mans, Musée Jean-Claude Boulard - Plantagenet section
Inv No. 2009.0.1.4
The translucent enamel medallion on an engraved background (known as low-cut enamel), depicts Saint John the Baptist carrying a lamb. The translucent enamel has disappeared.
3/ Footed cup
Embossed silver decorated with a scrollwork design.
14th century
Le Mans, Musée Jean-Claude Boulard - Plantagenet section
Inv No. 2009.0.1.6
The background of the decoration is made up of points chiselled with a rivet. It is interspersed with a large reserved out scroll from which small branches end in a trefoil flower.
4/ Spoon
Partially-gilded silver
14th century
Le Mans, Musée Jean-Claude Boulard - Plantagenet section
Inv No. 2009.0.1.21
5/ Folding or pocket spoon
Partially-gilded silver
14th century
Le Mans, Musée Jean-Claude Boulard - Plantagenet section
Inv No. 2009.0.1.27
FOR KIDS
This spoon isn't like any other. Have you noticed what sets it apart from the spoons you're used to?
This spoon can fold ! It has a golden animal head to hold it open.