Silver-gilt Georgian Dessert Cutlery Service for 24 in King's Pattern

52-piece Georgian Silver-gilt King's Pattern Dessert Service, London 1830-45 by Eatons

The Service

We are pleased to be offering a rare opportunity to purchase a superb early 19^th century silver-gilt dessert service in King’s pattern.

This is a straight service for up to 24 people with every piece hand-wrought in London by Eatons who were one of the premier specialist flatware makers. The pieces in this set were mostly made in 1830 with others spanning the period up to 1845 – all pieces are identical in appearance.

The quality of this set is extraordinary with each dessert spoon and fork being made from a thick gauge of silver and consequently having a good hefty weight of between 60 and 65 grams each. At over 10” in length, the long-handled serving spoons are a pleasure to handle and make perfect servers for the set. 

Each piece is gold plated all over and this original gilding gives the table service an extra degree of opulence. Further quality can be seen with the lovely crest that is engraved to each piece, with the spoons being engraved to the front and the forks to the reverse side, as was typical of the Georgian period.

King's Pattern

King's Pattern is the most well known and popular decorative pattern. 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

Eatons were found in May 1813 when William Eaton first entered his mark at Goldsmiths  and began a five decade long family business spanning the most important, inventive and prolific period of silver flatware making in British history. This company were at the forefront of hand-made silver flatware production and produced some of the finest quality cutlery of the period.

William Eaton died in 1845 and was succeeded in business by his widow Elizabeth who continued the practice of producing top quality silver spoons and forks. The name of the firm changed in 1854 to Elizabeth Eaton and Son, and the mark adapted accordingly in 1858 to include John (EE/JE). The business was purchased by Henry Holland & Son in 1865.

Components

This 52-piece service consists of the following:

• 24 Dessert Spoons – 17.8cm long
• 24 Dessert Forks – 17.5cm long
• 4 Long-handled Serving Spoons – 26.5cm long

The total weight of silver is 3490 grams (112.2 troy ounces)

Condition

Fabulous 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 and the original gilding remains unworn. The service has been given a thorough cleaning.

Presentation

This canteen is offered in five new anti-tarnish cutlery rolls.

All of 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.