This is a lovely vintage set of Viners Studio Cutlery in a top-quality fitted wooden case – with the Viners trademark tag / logo on the inside top left-hand corner.
The case is in just lovely condition both externally and internally – the exterior has no condition issues of any sort. The interior is very clean with a dusky lemon yellow flock base – and the lid is lined with rich cream silk.
All the cutlery inside is in excellent condition and to me, they look like they have never been used – they are all very shiny – and no damages to any piece.
There are a lot of pieces in here. I THINK THAT THERE ARE ABOUT 80 pieces in total. So averaging out at just over £3.50 apiece. I have priced the set in the beautiful box at a very fair £295 for this fine set.
It is a more unusual set for EIGHT PLACE SETTINGS (please note two spoons are missing: one is a pointed grapefruit spoon and another of the smaller dessert spoons as noted on tags by me inside the box). These are easy to source and add to the set.
But certainly contains a full place setting for eight people. Most of these sets that I have seen only have six place settings.
We have as follows:
8 dinner knives. Length 9 inches. 8 dessert knives. Length 8 inches (these are kept in the lid section).
Below we have:
8 Fish Knives: Each measures 8 ¾ inches in length.
8 Matching Forks. 8 inches in length – these are along the top edge of the base section.
Then left to right there are:
7 Grapefruit Spoons: Length 6 inches
8 Dessert Spoons (at both ends). Length 8 inches
All forks in the base section total 14 forks: The length is 8 inches – the width of the prongs is slightly more narrow than on the fish forks.
8 Soup for spoons: with round bowls: Length of each is 8 inches
In the center are 4 larger serving spoons. They are 8 ¼ inches in length.
Then we have 7 smaller dessert spoons: Length 5 ½ inches
Finally … phew! … 8 Teaspoons which measure 5 inches in length
The box and contents are very heavy as you might expect – the box measures as follows 19 x 12 inches, and is 3 ½ in height.
These are genuine vintage examples, as annotated on the back of each piece of cutlery: VINERS OF SHEFFIELD ENGLAND STAINLESS STEEL.
I have taken lots of images for your inspection.
HISTORY: The designer Adrian Gerald Sallis Benney (1930 - 2008) was a celebrated British goldsmith and silversmith. He was born in Hull, Yorkshire, and served as the Professor of Silversmithing and Jewellery at the Royal College of Art from 1974 - 1983. He was made a CBE in 1995. During a career spanning more than 50 years, he was the first British craftsman to hold four Royal Warrants simultaneously. His work has had a major impact on the survival of domestic silver in Britain.
In his early years, Benney was influenced by the purity and minimalism of Scandinavian design. From 1957 to 1969 he designed stainless steel cutlery for Viners. His most popular design was "Studio" and the design remains popular to this day.
Certainly one of Britain's most interesting 20th-century designers.
Obviously, UK posting only. This is going to be about £14 and applied at the checkout stage.