Silversmith:
AB
Cutler:
KBa
(Possibly)
Silver and steel; the steel blade with cast silver handle terminating in the mask of a woman; the two tined fork with similar handle
Silver and steel; the knife had a broad steel blade which tapers to a point at the tip, and a polymorphic facetted bolster. The silver handle is cast in two halves and is of square section with a band of stiff leaves round the middle and a scrolled terminal underneath which is the mask of a woman. The fork has two long facetted and notched steel tines on a bolster and handle similar to those of the knife.
History note: Not known before testator
C.B. Marlay Bequest
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1912) by Marlay, Charles Brinsley
18th Century, Early#
Circa
1700
-
Circa
1750
Label text from the exhibition ‘Feast and Fast: The Art of Food in Europe, 1500–1800’, on display at The Fitzwilliam Museum from 26 November 2019 until 31 August 2020: Carving in alto (aloft) was a spectacle enjoyed at elite tables. The highly skilled carver (trinciante in Italian) performed his sleight of hand by spearing the meat or fowl with the fork and slicing it cleanly with as few cuts as possible. This elegant carving set is similar to that illustrated in the Trincir-Buch (displayed nearby). The fork’s long, facetted, and notched steel tines would have been strong enough to hold a roasted fowl or joint aloft while the knife, with its lethally sharpened broad blade, made the cuts. The square-sectioned silver handles would have helped to ensure a firm grip for the carver as the meat juices dripped down.
Handle
composed of
silver
Blade
composed of
steel
Fork
Length 25.3 cm
Knife
Length 28.9 cm
Inscription present: a circular cartouche containing a swan?
Accession number: MAR.M.140A & B-1912
Primary reference Number: 167091
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Knife and fork" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/167091 Accessed: 2024-11-02 18:16:40
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/167091
|title=Knife and fork
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-02 18:16:40|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-167091
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...