84-piece King's Pattern Canteen, London 1840-82 by George Adams
King's Pattern
King's Pattern is the most well known and popular decorative patterns. It was based on an 18th century French design and became fashionable amongst the wealthy in the early years of the 19th Century. The design encompasses a shell to both sides of the handle terminal and reverse of the bowl, scrolls down the handle shaft with a honeysuckle motif to the centre. The double-struck nature of the pattern (i.e. pattern on both sides) ensures that a good gauge of silver was used in manufacture and therefore the majority of London-made pieces in this pattern have a hefty feel in the hand. The best quality King's Pattern was made in London, where it was hand-wrought and has a high relief to the decoration. Machine made King's Pattern from Sheffield is lower in relief and generally has a less interesting appearance and lighter weight.
The Maker
All the spoons and forks within this canteen were made by Chawner & Company and marked with the "GA" mark of it's owner - George W Adams. Chawner & Company were the premier silver flatware making outfit of the 19th Century. They produced some of the finest spoons and forks from their Hosier Lane workshops. Each piece was hand-wrought in the traditional manner and are amongst the finest quality likely to be encountered. A brief biography of Chawner and Company can be found by clicking this link.
Period knives rarely survive in good order (the steel blades corrode), therefore we have provided an extremely good set from the premier silversmiths of the latter half of the 20th Century. All twenty four knives were made by C J Vander and hallmarked Sheffield 1967.
The Service
This extensive 12 place settings canteen is attractively presented in blue anti-tarnish cutlery rolls. All the pieces are in excellent condition and have a good solid feel in the hand. One of the benefits of buying a same maker canteen is the future possibility of adding pieces that are an almost exact match in terms of size, proportions and pattern. We always hold a stock of pieces by this maker and would be happy to augment the size of this service on request. Furthermore, we are able to supply serving items by this maker and can forward details on request.
The twenty four silver handled knives are fitted with stainless steel blades.
Components and Measurements
This 60-piece service consists of the following:
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12 off table/soup spoons; length: 8.8" (224mm); weight: 1226 grams (39.4 tr. oz.);
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12 off table/dinner forks; length: 8.5" (216mm); weight: 1218 grams (39.2 tr. oz.);
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12 off dessert or starter forks; length: 7" (178mm); weight: 742 grams (23.9 tr. oz.);
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12 off dessert spoons; length: 7.25" (184mm); weight: 764grams (24.5 tr. oz.);
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12 off teaspoons; length: 5.75" (146mm); weight: 410 grams (13,2 tr. oz.);
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12 off table knives; length 9.9" (251mm)
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12 off dessert knives; length 8.9" (225mm)
Total weight of weighable silver 4360 grams (140.2tr. oz.)
Condition
Excellent. All the fork tines are full length and the spoon bowls are unworn. The canteen has a mix of dates and therefore some pieces are blank whereas others bear a combination of engraved initials and crests. All the knives are blank (engraving-free).
Presentation
This canteen benefits from being presented in top quality navy blue anti-tarnish cutlery rolls.
Price: SOLD
Ref. No.: DE/9718
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.
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above - photo illustrating the crisp
decoration and a range of terminals with blanks, crests and initials.
left - example of George Adams hallmark for London 1859 below - sample place setting showing off the fabulous polished condition |