Martele Silver Flatware Service
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Gorham made only two sets of flatware in the prized Martelé line
Key Features
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- This 285-piece Martelé flatware service is one of only two Gorham ever created
- It was made 3 years before the Martelé line was introduced at the Paris Exhibition Universelle
- Each piece has the signature hand-hammered, organic Art Nouveau motif of Martelé
- The service is housed in its original fitted chest, which is marked Gorham
- Each piece bears Gorham Martelé marks and the number 9584, for the year 1897
- Case: 27 1/2" wide x 18 1/2" deep x 20" high
Item Details
- Width:
27 1/2" Inches - Height:
20" Inches - Depth:
18 1/2" Inches - Period:
19th Century - Origin:
America
This astonishingly rare 285-piece Martelé silver flatware service is one of only two flatware services in this rare pattern that the Gorham Silver Company ever created. Each piece is hand-wrought from an exceptionally pure .950 silver (verses .925 sterling) in a flowing, sensuous Art Nouveau motif. It is believed that the remarkable rarity of these sets stemmed from the difficulty of translating such fine organic elements to the medium of flatware, as the majority of Gorham's pieces were round vessels such as bowls, tankards and tea services. This service is also distinguished by the fact that it was created in the very first year the Martelé silver line was produced, a full three years before Gorham officially introduced this hand-made style at the Parisian Exposition Universelle of 1900. The beauty, and certainly the rarity, of this magnificent service are undeniable. This flatware service is complete with its fitted chest, which bears the Gorham mark on the interior fabric. Each piece bears the Gorham Martelé marks and the number code 9584, corresponding to the year 1897.
In 1891, the Gorham Company hired William C. Codman to serve as chief designer and under his direction they introduced a line of hand-wrought silver that would literally take the world by storm. The lavish new line was dubbed Martelé, which in French means "to hammer." They introduced the line in 1900 at the Parisian Exposition Universelle where it was met with resounding praise. Inspired by the Art Nouveau movement, this new Martelé silver proved to be the crowning achievement for a company already rich with the rewards of their work. Today, it is among the most highly collected silver in the world.
Case: 27 1/2" wide x 18 1/2" deep x 20" high
This service comprises:12 fish forks12 fish knives12 fish/salad forks with gilt tines 12 dessert spoons12 dinner forks12 fruit knives12 strawberry forks12 demi-spoons with gilt bowls12 ice cream forks with gilt tines12 ice cream spoons with gilt bowls 12 butter spreaders12 grapefruit spoons12 ramekin forks12 seafood forks12 teaspoons12 tablespoons12 ice tea spoons12 bouillon spoons12 lunch forks12 cream soup spoons12 dinner knives12 lunch knives sauce ladleroast carving forksharpening steelsteak carving knifesteak carving forkroast carving knifepunch ladlemaster salt spoonpickle forkbutter picklemon forksugar tongcold meat forkcake serverberry spoonasparagus forksalad serving forkfish serverfish serving forksalad serving spoongrape shears
References:
Gorham Silver, 1997, Charles H. Carpenter, Jr.
Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé: American Art Nouveau Silver from the Jolie and Robert Shelton Collection, 2001, John Webster Keefe and Samuel J. Hough
In 1891, the Gorham Company hired William C. Codman to serve as chief designer and under his direction they introduced a line of hand-wrought silver that would literally take the world by storm. The lavish new line was dubbed Martelé, which in French means "to hammer." They introduced the line in 1900 at the Parisian Exposition Universelle where it was met with resounding praise. Inspired by the Art Nouveau movement, this new Martelé silver proved to be the crowning achievement for a company already rich with the rewards of their work. Today, it is among the most highly collected silver in the world.
Case: 27 1/2" wide x 18 1/2" deep x 20" high
This service comprises:12 fish forks12 fish knives12 fish/salad forks with gilt tines 12 dessert spoons12 dinner forks12 fruit knives12 strawberry forks12 demi-spoons with gilt bowls12 ice cream forks with gilt tines12 ice cream spoons with gilt bowls 12 butter spreaders12 grapefruit spoons12 ramekin forks12 seafood forks12 teaspoons12 tablespoons12 ice tea spoons12 bouillon spoons12 lunch forks12 cream soup spoons12 dinner knives12 lunch knives sauce ladleroast carving forksharpening steelsteak carving knifesteak carving forkroast carving knifepunch ladlemaster salt spoonpickle forkbutter picklemon forksugar tongcold meat forkcake serverberry spoonasparagus forksalad serving forkfish serverfish serving forksalad serving spoongrape shears
References:
Gorham Silver, 1997, Charles H. Carpenter, Jr.
Magnificent, Marvelous Martelé: American Art Nouveau Silver from the Jolie and Robert Shelton Collection, 2001, John Webster Keefe and Samuel J. Hough
