125 piece King's Husk Pattern Canteen, 1861

The Service

We are pleased to be offering an outstanding, complete flatware and cutlery service made by premier silversmiths, in one of the most desirable patterns and in superb condition.

This is a rare opportunity to buy a complete Victorian period silver 12 place settings canteen in King’s Husk Pattern. The service provides for ten pieces per 12 place settings with additional large serving pieces.

All the spoons and forks were hand-wrought in the traditional manner in the most important London flatware specialist workshop of Chawner & Company. This is a straight service of flatware with all the spoons, ladles and forks being hallmarked for London 1860-62 by Chawner & Company (under the leadership of George Adams), with the vast majority bearing the date letter for 1861. 

The table & side knives, carving set and fish eaters were all made by C J Vander who were the most important London cutlery specialists of the second half of the 20^th century. Each of these pieces is hallmarked for London 1959.

There are also a dozen silver fruit or dessert knives with silver blades each bearing hallmarks for Sheffield 1836 by Aaron Hadfield.

King’s Husk Pattern

King’s Husk pattern is a variation of the much admired King’s Pattern with a bold husk shell motif to the front terminal of the handle and reverse side of the bowl. It was first introduced during the Regency period (circa 1810) and is considered to be one of the best designs for silver flatware. It is a premium pattern with each piece having double struck decoration (i.e. on both sides) and so a good gauge of silver is required for its manufacture – therefore every piece has a good heavy feel in the hand.

Components

This 125-piece service consists of the following:

Total weight of weighable silver 5805 grams (186.7 troy ounces). This figure does not include the 27 pieces with stainless steel blades or the 12 dessert knives with silver blades.

The presence of all the components within this extensive service gives great flexibility with dining. The presence of the fish eaters, two knife types in addition to the table knife and the table spoons opens up options for the first course, dessert and cheese courses without the need for washing between courses.

The dessert knives with silver blades are a useful addition to the service as they give extra flexibility with the knives, but please note they have resin filled handles and should not be put in a dish washer. With their silver blades, they are intended for soft cutting (e.g. strawberries), but could also be used for spreading butter. The placement on the dining table of the silver bladed knife and the smaller knife with stainless steel blade can be chosen according to what is being offered as a dessert, so that the other knife can be used as a side knife for starter course or cheese course.

There are 8 table spoons that have a dual purpose.  In the 19th century these spoons were used as soup spoons and are perfectly adept for the same purpose today if required, however, they are equally useful for serving.

The pair of large basting (serving) spoons are incredible! They crisp throughout and the service benefits from having no personalised engravings. The forks tines retain their original full and equal length and the spoon bowls are unworn.

Presentation

This canteen is offered within royal purple anti-tarnish cutlery rolls. These rolls have individual pockets to hold 12 items per roll. The larger serving items are supplied loose.

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.