CategoriesTableware, Vessels, and Objects
Flatware
Knives, forks and spoons for eating and serving, made in silver, steel and other metals, often as large matched sets.
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About
Spoons and knives are ancient, but the fork spread slowly through Europe, reaching Italy from Byzantium and becoming usual in England only in the 17th century. Matching place settings followed. In 18th-century London, women silversmiths such as Hester Bateman, Elizabeth Tookey and Elizabeth Morley ran successful workshops known for spoons and table silver, and hallmarks record maker, town and year. In the 19th century American firms like Gorham produced vast services with a special implement for every dish, from oyster forks to berry spoons.
Modern designers stripped cutlery back. Arne Jacobsen's stainless steel set (1957) was so futuristic that it appeared in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Jens Quistgaard gave Danish flatware warm teak handles. Look at the marks, the balance in the hand and the wear on bowls and tines, which shows how a set was used.
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