Flatware Set (for Twelve)
Maker
Gorham Manufacturing Company
(American, founded 1831)
Date1890
MediumSterling silver
DimensionsOverall: 3 x 24 3/4 x 17 1/2 in. (7.6 x 62.9 x 44.5 cm)
ClassificationsCULINARY ARTIFACTS
Credit LineGift of Marion E. Holbrook in Memory of Horace Norton Holbrook
Object number93.23.1.1-84
DescriptionSterling silver service for 12 in original wooden box with blue silk lining. Aesthetic, bright-cut pattern of stylized foliage and wheat on handles. 12 dinner forks, 12 dessert forks, 12 teaspoons, 12 dessert spoons, 11 tablespoons, 12 butter knives, and 12 knives.On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextEconomic growth along with developments in machine technology during the second half of the nineteenth century made silver plate and sterling silver more affordable to middle class consumers. A complete, formal, matching silver service could consist of dozens of forms ranging from strawberry forks to salt spoons. A more moderate service included serving utensils and luncheon and dinner knives, forks, and spoons.
This flatware service for twelve is decorated with a bright-cut pattern of stylized foliage and wheat. When used in reference to silver motifs, bright or brilliant cut describes a design created when a silversmith uses engraving tools to cut away metal to form a faceted pattern that increases the reflected light on the surface of the metal so that it seems to sparkle.
