Silver Plated Art Deco Cutlery Canteen - Boulenger & Cie. - 196-piece/12-pax. - Paris, 1919-1938

A very extensive silver-plated cutlery set from the Art Deco period, preserved in its original solid wooden canteen. This cutlery set consists of no fewer than 196 pieces, is suitable for 12 table guests, and contains—in addition to a generous collection of serving pieces—cutlery for the appetizer, main course, fish dishes, escargots, and desserts. The canteen contains six drawers with knobs of brass (re-polished by us), a brown felt inlay, and cutlery holders for all pieces.

Manufactured by the silversmith C. Boulenger et Cie (Orfevrerie Boulenger) between 1919 and 1938. This was one of the most renowned silversmiths and manufacturers of silverware in early twentieth-century France.

Heavily silver-plated based on 100 grams. The cutlery is in excellent condition and appears to have been used only very rarely.

Consisting of:

Drawer 1:
- 12 dinner spoons
- 12 dinner forks
- 12 appetizer/lunch spoons
- 12 appetizer/lunch forks
- Strawberry spoon

Drawer 2:
- 12 dinner knives
- 12 dessert knives
- 12 fish knives
- 12 fish forks

Drawer 3:
- 12 lobster hooks
- 12 oyster forks
- 11 espresso spoons
- 9 ice cream spoons
- 10 pastry forks
- 10 coffee spoons

Drawer 4:
- Meat fork
- Asparagus tongs
- Vegetable spoon
- Lamb leg clamp
- Fish serving fork
- Gravy spoon
- Absinthe spoon
- Sardine scoop
- Sardine fork
- Butter knife

Drawer 5:
- Ice cream knife
- Ice cream scoop
- Pastry server
- Salad spoon
- Salad fork
- Carving knife
- Carving fork
- Sugar tongs

Drawer 6:
- 12 silver-plated escargot tongs
- Soup ladle
- Sauce ladle
- Fruit scoop
- Asparagus scoop
- Fish serving knife

196 pieces in total.

All pieces are marked with [Boulenger][Blanc 100].

In the 19th century and at the turn of the century, Boulenger was one of the most prominent silversmiths in Paris. The company was founded as early as 1810 by M. Boulenger-Hautin, and in its first decades it was known as the Orfevrerie Hautin. When cousin Adolphe Boulenger took over management in 1864, the name changed to A. Boulenger & Cie. From their premises at 4 rue de Vert-Bois in Paris, the company made a name for itself as an Orfevre of caliber, and over time Boulenger became a regular supplier to the French Navy. Its work was awarded prizes several times at fairs and exhibitions, including in Paris in 1925, Cairo in 1929, and Antwerp in 1930.