Rare Reed & Barton Francis I Sterling Silver Wide Carving Fork, Monogramed
RARE Reed & Barton Francis I Sterling Silver Wide Carving Fork with a monogramed “G” on underside of handle. Lovely two-pronged wide carving fork with the iconic Francis I design at the neck moving down the handle. Stamped on underside of fork “Stainless”. Production ended in 2019. It was designed by Ernest Meyer, a French silversmith. His goal was to create a pattern that eclipsed the splendid Renaissance-Baroque metalwork of Benvenuto Cellini, court artist and sculptor in the court of King Francis I who ascended the French throne in 1515. It took him three years to design. The pattern is unique, given that – unlike other flatware patterns – it has fifteen different fruit-and-flower clusters. Each handle bears one of these detailed designs. Francis 1st flatware was produced by Reed & Barton Silversmiths. The original backstamp featured a lion, an eagle, and the letter “R”; Commonly called “Eagle-R-Lion”. In about 1950 a new backstamp came into use which reads “Reed and Barton”. This flatware was made in the US and is warranted by its production company for 100 years.
