SILVER SERVING SET. GERMANY, CIRCA 1900

An impressive German silver serving set comprising seven implements for various purposes, dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The set includes specialised utensils for serving meat, fish, sauces and other dishes, including serving forks, knives, spoons and servers.

The implements are unified by a coherent decorative scheme. The shaped silver handles are finely modelled in relief with scrolling foliage, floral motifs and cartouches. Longitudinal facets and gently twisting contours create a lively play of light across the polished silver surfaces. Certain serving elements are further embellished with gilding, engraved foliate ornament and pierced decoration.

Particularly decorative are the broad serving slice with engraved ornament and the large pierced server with a gilded working surface. Their flowing contours and stylised botanical motifs reflect the transition from the historicising decoration of the late 19th century towards the aesthetics of German Jugendstil. This combination of traditional ornament and innovative sculptural forms is characteristic of European silver tableware around 1900.

The set is presented in a rectangular fitted case lined in blue textile, with individually shaped compartments for each implement.

Marks: The silver elements bear assay and other marks. The enlarged photograph clearly shows the mark 800, indicating 800 standard silver.

Dimensions: Length of individual implements approximately 30 cm. Case: 64 × 36 × 6 cm.

Weight: Total weight of the implements: 819 g.