Grande Baroque By Wallace

A design by William Warren, said to take 4 years to complete. The top of the piece is an Acanthus leaf and below that is a sophisticated pattern of beautiful flowers and leaves. The forks have narcissus in their design, the knives a rose, and five petaled flowers can be seen on the spoons. His inspiration was the romance of the 16th century. It is one of the patterns called "three dimensional" because the designs can be seen from three sides: the front, back, and from the side.

Master Butter (6 3/4 inches)

Hooded Asparagus Server (10 inches)

Grapefruit Spoon

Intricate Bonbon piece

The Bonbon Spoon has been called "the most useless" piece of sliver. I personally think it is one of the most beautiful. To me, sterling silverware is about beauty, not necessarily its utilitarian purpose.

Here is another example - Lily of the Valley by Whiting

Stuffing Spoon

These serving spoons, called Stuffing Spoons, were sometimes referred to as Platter Spoons and also Gravy Spoons. They are fairly large, varying in length from 11 to 13 inches. Some have a "button" on the back of the handle to keep the spoon in place as it rest on the edge of the platter or bowl. On early pieces, these buttons were very ornate, fashioned as an acorn for example, but as times changed and the art left the flatware business, so did they detail of the "buttons".

(Shown in Chantilly by Gorham 12 1/4 inches)

(Shown in Chrysanthemum by Durgin 11 1/2 inches)

(Shown in Fontainebleau by Gorham 10 1/2 inches)

(Shown in Repousse by Kirk 11 inches)

(Shown in Winthrop by Tiffany 13 inches)

Princess by Stieff

Introduced in 1915. From the 1920's catalog - "Inspired by the beauty of a bride's bouquet, a Stieff designer brought forth the "Princess" Pattern a tribute to the "Princess Royal" - the American Bride." A truly beautiful pattern.

(Pickle Fork 5 3/4 inches)

(French Hollow Knife with Bolster 8 7/8 inches)

(Fruit Serving Spoon 9 1/4 inches)

Place Knives

Let's just review the Knives one COULD have at a place setting. Of course, no one would use all of these knives at one time. But it interesting to think of the combinations.

Dinner Knife (9 1/2 - 10 inches) (Shown in Buttercup by Gorham)

Luncheon/Dessert Knife (8 1/2 - 9 inches) (Shown in Buttercup by Gorham)

Dessert/Tea/Breakfast Knife (7 - 8 7/8 inches) (Shown in Duke of York by Whiting)

Steak Knife (8 3/4 - 9 inches) (Shown in Buttercup by Gorham)

Fish Knife (7 1/2 - 8 1/16) (Shown in Buttercup by Gorham)

Junior/Tea/Breakfast Knife (7 - 7 9/16) (Shown in Buttercup by Gorham)

Fruit Knife (6 3/8 - 6 13/16) (Shown in Chantilly by Gorham)

Orange Knife (7 3/8) (Shown in King George by Gorham)

Butter Spreader (6 1/8 - 6 5/16) (Shown in Buttercup by Gorham)

Caviar Knife/Spade (Shown in Unknown Austrian Sterling Pattern)

Serving Spoons

Sterling is such a work of art, even the utilitarian Serving Spoon can be a beauty. Take these examples.

Shown in Wave Edge  by Whiting

Shown in a Tiffany pattern

Queen of the Flowers by Unger

I never could find any more about this lovely pattern. It was designed by Unger, showing a lady's face with flowers and introduced in 1904.

Individual Asparagus Servers

We have seen the Asparagus Servers in various patterns. But there are some patterns that offer Individual Asparagus Servers for the place setting. Here are a few examples.

(Shown in Lancaster Rose by Gorham 4 inches)

(Shown in King Richard  by Towle )

Joint Fork

The Joint Fork is an utensil designed to hold the joint of bone while carving meat.

(Shown in Pompadour by Birks) (10 inches)

Love Disarmed by Reed & Barton

They just don't make patterns more intriguing than this. Reed and Barton is said to have based this design on Shakespeare's Sonnet 154 about disarming cupid. The handle is graced with Venus, the goddess of love, and her son Cupid, with a background of vines and flowers. It was first introduced in 1899 during the Art Nouveau movement. It was discontinued in 1928, only to be reintroduced in 1970.

I found a quote describing it that said: "It was design genius on the part of Reed and Barton to so perfectly capture the story of disarming Cupid in sterling silver. While we are not sure who the voluptuous figure of Cupid’s conqueror in the Love Disarmed pattern was intended to be, we surmise it is either Venus, Diana, or a nymph. Most likely she is hiding Cupid’s quiver of arrows with her left arm while she holds his bow away from him with her right…"

Cheese Scoop (6 1/4 inches)

Oyster Fork (5 5/8 inches)

Large Solid Cold Meat Serving Fork (10 3/8 inches)

Orange Spoon (5 1/2 inches)

Large Solid Fish Serving Knife (13 14/ inches)

Baby Food Pusher