This silver fruitbowl is marked with in my opinion French hallmarks. There is a makersmark looked like A tower R of AAR. Could somebody determine this silver bowl? The maker, city and period? Thanks in advance! MY knowledge of french silver is very limited...
The hallmark, a beahive surrounded by bees between the letters A R is that of Adolphe Roustaing, later Roustaing and Compagnie, from 1909 to sometime after 1929.
Source - Dictionnaire des joailliers, bijoutiers et orfèvres by Remi Verlet.
Poinçon de titre in English is called a hallmark. It is a guarantee of the value of the metal, in the case of this bowl the Minerva head for objects made of 950 standard silver.
What you have called a hallmark in English is called a maker’s mark, in French poinçon de responsabilité. From the post-Revolutionary period to the present the maker’s initials and symbol are stamped in a lozenge-shaped reserve.