Antique 19th C French Sterling Silver Flatware Set w Fish Service 76 Pcs.

Silver : Antique : Sterling : Flatware

 

A beautiful French silver service decorated with acanthus leaves, Paris c. 1893. There are 52 pieces in solid silver, plus 24 silver-plated knives. Included is a full fish service for twelve. (See the complete list of pieces below.) All but the knives are marked with the Minerve I for .950 silver purity (purer than sterling), plus the maker's mark for Regina BENVENISTI, who traded at 8 rue Martel, Paris, from October 1893 (the word 'Ascanio' and her initials below). Most pieces are monogrammed CP. The set is missing a few pieces, but, you have 11 place settings of four pieces each, plus extras. Total silver weight is 2936 grams or 6.47 pounds (103.56 ounces). Total weight with knives is 4,524 grams (4.5 kilos) or 9.97 pounds!

The set includes: 12 fish forks; 12 matching fish knives with the same maker's mark and same monogram, which are silver-plated; 11 dinner forks; 12 dinner knives in a similar pattern, silver plated (free of charge); 11 tablespoons; 12 entremet (2nd course) or dessert forks; and 7 tea or coffee spoons

Just to get you started, I have added the very compatible set of twelve silver-plated dinner knives without charge. They have steel blades, which was always the case at this early date. They are in very nice condition, with very little oxidation. As a bonus, the steel blades are easier to sharpen than any others, and they come up much sharper as well, which makes them especially good for a meat course. We always try to carry extra sets of knives, since they seldom come with the old flatware sets. Silver flatware was a traditional wedding gift, and there was an old superstition, that giving a knife would "cut" the friendship. So knives were usually purchased separately later on. This tradition stimulated the cutlers to make a wide array of knives, often in exotic materials, such as ebony, ivory and mother of pearl, to accompany flatware services of the period. If you think you would like different knives, see our shop for examples of each, and we'll work it out.

Condition of all pieces is excellent, with nothing to report beyond minor signs of age and use, and the steel blade on one of the dinner knives is quite worn. A very pretty set!

Item ID: 809-08