70-piece King's & Queen's Pattern Canteen, London 1821-67 by George Adams and others
We are offering for sale an extremely good quality mixed Georgian and Victorian silver service of spoons, forks and serving pieces. All the main course and serving pieces are in the rare King's Honeysuckle Pattern, whereas the dessert pieces are in the very similar Queen's Pattern. It is a unique combination of patterns and because the quality of the pieces is excellent throughout (for example all the table forks and spoons weigh over 100 grams each) this dinner service will make a stunning statement when laid out on any dining table.
The canteen comprises five pieces per twelve place settings with the bonus of four large serving items and an extra six table forks that could be used as spares for starters, serving etc. The quality of the canteen is second to none with a hefty weight of silver used throughout. The pieces were hand-wrought as opposed to the inferior machine-made Sheffield silver. Knives can be added at a later date (they were originally supplied separately) and we shall be happy to advise.
The Patterns
The table forks, table spoons and serving items are all in King's Honeysuckle Pattern; this pattern has a beautiful trailing honeysuckle motif down the front terminal. The dessert spoons and forks are in Queen's Pattern. Three teaspoons are also in Queen's Pattern and nine are in the slightly different Queen's Oyster Pattern. These patterns are based on the same shape of design, but have slight differences to the motifs within the raised pattern (see photos). All pieces have very crisp decoration throughout.
The Makers
The majority of pieces were made by George Adams of Chawner & Company (52 pieces). Chawner & Co were the premier specialists in making silver flatware throughout the 19th Century. The remaining eighteen pieces were also made by top quality flatware specialists and are difficult to tell apart from those by George Adams. Full details of the hallmarks can be found below.
The Service
The service is contained within a top quality wooden oak box with a cream lining. Each piece has it's own slot. All 30 forks and the 12 teaspoons are fitted in to the top lift-out tray. The table and dessert spoons and the serving items are in the bottom of the box. I suspect the canteen was gathered together towards the latter end of the 19th Century and the box was especially made to house it. Knives would have been supplied separately and we can help source appropriate knives on request. Each piece (except teaspoons) are engraved with the same letter "G" in script, the Honeysuckle pieces to the reverse sides and the dessert pieces to the front.
The weight of each pieces is exceptional. The soup ladle weighs nearly 10 troy ounces, the basting spoons 6.6 tr.oz each, the table forks and table spoons over 3 tr.oz each.
This is a top quality hand-made service with the weight, crispness and high relief of decoration and durability that cheaper inexpensive silver Kings Pattern flatware (e.g. machine made in Sheffield or Birmingham) cannot give you.
Components and Measurements
This 70-piece service consists of the following:
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12 off table/soup spoons; King's Honeysuckle Pattern, London 1869 by George Adams, length: 8.7" (221mm); weight: 1235 grams (39.7 tr. oz.);
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18 off table/dinner forks; length: King's Honeysuckle Pattern, London 1856 by George Adams (x7), London 1825 by William, Charles & Henry Eley (x9), London 1825 by William Theobald (x1) & London 1821 by William Eley & William Fearn (x1), 8.15" (207mm); weight: 1943 grams (62.5 tr. oz.);
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12 off dessert or starter forks; Queen's Pattern, London 1852/62 by George Adams (x7) & Glasgow 1837 by J Muir Junior (x5), length: 6.9" (175mm); weight: 757 grams (24.3 tr. oz.);
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12 off dessert spoons; Queen's Pattern, London 1867 by George Adams, length: 7" (178mm); weight: 727 grams (23.4 tr. oz.);
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12 off teaspoons; Queen's Pattern, London 1829 by Robert Hennel (x3) & Queen's Oyster Pattern, London 1840/41 by Haynes & Cater (x9), length: 5.85" (149mm); weight: 425 grams (13.7 tr. oz.);
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soup ladle; King's Honeysuckle Pattern, London 1869 by George Adams, length: 13" (330mm); weight: 307 grams (9.9 tr. oz.);
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2 basting spoons; King's Honeysuckle Pattern, London 1869 by George Adams, length: 12" (305mm); weight: 411 grams (13.2 tr. oz.);
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sauce ladle; King's Honeysuckle Pattern, London 1869 by George Adams, length: 7" (178mm); weight: 84 grams (2.7 tr. oz.);
Total Weight: 5889 grams (189.4 troy ounces)
Condition
Excellent. All the fork tines are full length and spoon bowls are unworn. The decoration is very crisp throughout and there have been no erasures. The service is in it's original condition with a fine patina.
Presentation
This service is offered within a top quality wooden box, probably dating from circa 1890. There is a brass escutcheon fitted in the lid which has not been engraved. The box is in fine condition with a removable top tray and individual slots for each piece.
Price: SOLD
Ref. No.: YU/D1590
As with all the canteens available from our web-site, we are happy to send a sample place setting for approval, on receipt of a fully refundable surety payment, prior to purchasing this canteen.
Payment options Contact us for more information
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Table spoon and fork |
Dessert spoon, dessert fork and teaspoon |
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Table spoon, dessert spoon, teaspoon, dessert fork and table fork |
Table spoon, dessert spoon, teaspoon, dessert fork and table fork |
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Soup ladle, sauce ladle & pair of basting spoons |
Reverse sides of soup ladle, sauce ladle & pair of basting spoons |
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