Victorian Pair of Sterling Silver Melon Carvers by Francis Higgins. London 1860.
Victorian Pair of Sterling Silver Melon Carvers by Francis Higgins. London 1860.
8801
Decorative and unusual sterling silver knife and fork used by the Victorians for carving melon.
Maker: Francis Higgins. London 1860.
These were first recorded in the 1870s in the Army and Navy catalogue.
The handles of both the fork and knife have a diagonally twisted stem and are decorated with scrolling leaves with an attractive Victorian finial.
On the fork, the lower part of the tines and their base are fashioned to simulate vine branches. The base of the blade on the knife is partly decorated with grapes and vine leaves.
The full set of hallmarks is clearly stamped on the back of one of the tines of the fork. The makers mark is struck across one side of the join between the base of the fork tines and the handle, while the other three hallmarks are struck across on the other side. This ensured that the fork handle and tines were original. On the knife, the full set of hallmarks is struck on the blade. As with the fork, the makers mark is struck across the join between blade and handle on one side and struck with the three hallmarks also on the other side.
Length: Fork: Total 8.7 inches (22.1cm) - Tine to handle 2.9 inches (7.3cm)
Knife: Total 11 inches (27.9cm) - Blade to handle 5.4 inches (13.7cm)
Weight: 6.1 troy ounces (191.2 grams) pair
1860
Silver
London
Very good
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 - Tine to handle 2.9 inches (7.3cm)Knife: Total 11 inches (27.9cm) - Blade to handle 5.4 inches (13.7cm)Weight: 6.1 troy ounces (191.2 grams) pair){kind=link}