84-piece Victorian Silver Canteen King's Pattern Cutlery Service for 12 by GA

84 Piece Silver King’s Pattern Canteen, London 1846-77 by George Adams

The Service

We are pleased to be offering an excellent Victorian period silver 12 place settings canteen in Kings Pattern, all made by the best maker of the period and engraved with a variety of crests to the front terminals.

This is a same maker, mixed dates service of King’s pattern spoons and forks, with the knives dating from slightly later in the Victorian period. The service caters for seven pieces per 12 place settings with the option to purchase additional dining items of serving pieces in the same pattern and by the same maker.

All the spoons and forks are stamped with London hallmarks and were hand-wrought in the traditional manner by George Adams of Chawner & company - London’s premier silver flatware maker of the 19^th century.

All the spoons and forks bear an engraved crest to the front terminal. There are a mix of crests, with eighteen pieces featuring a “two arms joined” crest as shown in the photo with a single crest and the twelve teaspoons featuring a “raised arm holding a halberd” crest. All pieces date between 1846 and 1877.

Antique knives rarely survive in good condition and so it is a major bonus that this service is accompanied by a good quality set of 24 silver-handled knives with hallmarks for Sheffield 1893 by Martin & Hall. They are fitted with stainless steel blades, which given their date must be later additions, but they fit and suit perfectly. These knives are not engraved with crests.

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

Chawner & Company was founded in 1815 by William Chawner, on the solid grounding of an apprenticeship and later partnership within the most important line of specialist spoon and forks makers dating back to the mid-18^th century.

Chawner & Company became the largest and most important specialist silver flatware makers of the 19^th Century. In 1840, George W Adams took over the business from his mother-in-law Mary Chawner and developed the company even further using his “GA” maker’s mark. They introduced new flatware patterns and fashioned silver for important private clients and high end retailers.

The company was prolific in their output and always produced the best quality silver flatware available. The spoons and forks were hand forged to ensure balance and durability, and were made from a good gauge of silver to give them a nice hefty weight in the hand. The reputation of Chawner & Company endures to this day and a canteen wrought by them will give maximum satisfaction.

Components

This 84-piece service consists of the following:

The total weight of silver is 4430 grams (142.4 troy ounces) + 24 Silver handled knives.

Optional Extras

We have a huge range of King’s Pattern by George Adams. We can add further dining pieces to increase the size of the service or supply serving pieces to suit.

Condition

Excellent original condition throughout. The forks have full length tines and the spoons retain their thick bowl tips. The double struck decoration and engraving remains crisp throughout.

Presentation

This canteen is offered in seven anti-tarnish cutlery rolls with each piece having its own pocket to prevent scuffing.

All our canteens are offered with a full money-back guarantee. We are also happy to send a sample place setting for approval, on receipt of a fully refundable surety payment - just phone or email your preferences. Alternatively, in-person viewings are welcome by appointment or via Zoom.