Paul Storr English Sterling 'King's Hour Glass' Pattern Dessert (or fish or fruit) Knives by, London, 1814/15 – set of 12

Knives with their original sterling blades and sterling hollow handles are exceptionally rare from this period. Even rarer is a set made by the master silversmith Paul Storr.

Very similar to the King's pattern, the 'King's Hour Glass' pattern features a bold shell at the top and an hour glass design at the midsection of the handle. Both sides of the handle feature the pattern. One side is also engraved with an armorial device of a bird perched with one leg raised holding a twig. This family was obviously acquiring their silver from the finest silversmiths working at the time. The same device can be seen on a dish made by Peter Bateman in 1813 (Hester Bateman, Queen of English Silversmiths by David Shure, plate LXXXI).

These beautiful knives are fully hallmarked on the blades and handles. They measures just shy of 8.5 inches long and are in excellent antique condition. Some of the knives have pins where they have been reset. We are luck they were not transformed into knives with stainless steel blades - as so many have!