In the days when formal silver was used for only the most luxurious and bountiful meals, it made sense to have a different serving piece for any possible food one could imagine. From shears to spoons to ladles, here are a few examples of some unique and unusual antique silver flatware serving pieces we have here at M. S. Rau.
Puiforcat was the best of the best in French silver, with their factory in Paris producing the finest pieces in the 19th and 20th centuries. This service includes the unusual addition of a pair of grape shears, housed alongside a nutcracker in its original fitted case. A complete service by the Puiforcat firm is exceedingly rare, and is a testament to the painstaking craftsmanship that went into the creation of these subtly detailed pieces.
This spectacular Fabergé flatware set was made by one of the most renowned silversmithing firms in the world. Based in Moscow, the Fabergé firm came to define the gold standard in Russian decorative arts. These flatware serving pieces are a particularly good example of such important craftsmanship, which is easy to see in the ornately decorated fish serving knife. This is also an excellent example of a particularly unusual set of asparagus shears in the top left, with clean lines and a ridged inside for functionality.
Even the most standard of serving pieces can be works of art. In this Tiffany & Co. service in the beloved Chrysanthemum pattern, a jelly server, a pie knife, a cold meats fork, an oyster server, two serving spoons, a salad spoon, a tomato server, and a gravy ladle are each spectacularly formed with beautiful flourishes and detail. This pattern is one of the most highly desired Tiffany patterns, and our set consists of 252 pieces housed in a beautiful fitted mahogany case.
This 250-piece flatware set by Tiffany & Co. has many specific serving pieces. Most notable in this set is the perforated oval-shaped sugar sifter, as well as the larger round pea spoon. Another unique addition to this set is the two-pronged olive fork. The Windham set is known for the elegant Art Deco motif featured on each piece.
