Antique French Bazin & Cie Paris .950 Silver Carving Knife & Fork Set
Made in France c. 1900
Carving Knife Approximately 11" Long
Carving / Meat Fork Approximately 11" Long
Combined Gross Weight Approximately 220 grams, knife and fork together, excluding presentation case
Original Fitted Box Approximately 14" Long × 3 3/4" Wide × 1 1/2" High
Fine antique French boxed carving set attributed to Bazin & Cie of Paris, dating to circa 1900.
The set consists of a matching carving knife and carving/meat fork, each approximately 11 inches long, with finely decorated French First Standard silver handles and their original fitted presentation case.
The handles feature elongated fluting and graduated foliate or feather-like decoration characteristic of fine French table silver of the Belle Époque period. The handles appear to be hollow-form construction, as commonly encountered on period carving implements.
Both the knife and fork bear the French Minerva Head 1 hallmark. The numeral 1 is visible near the forehead of Minerva, identifying the hallmarked silver as French First Standard .950 fine silver.
The knife additionally bears a partial maker's punch in which an eight-spoke wheel followed by the letter C is visible. This is consistent with the registered maker's punch associated with Bazin & Cie of Paris, documented as B – eight-spoke wheel – C. The knife is also stamped PARIS.
Importantly, the matching carving knife and fork remain housed in their original fitted presentation case. The shaped interior was specifically formed to accommodate the two serving pieces and provides strong evidence that they have remained together as a set. The case features a brown patterned exterior with detailed metal hardware and a pale fabric-lined fitted interior.
Excellent antique condition to the knife and fork with surface wear, fine scratches and minor tarnish consistent with age and normal use. The decorated handles retain good definition. The original case shows considerably greater age-related wear than the carving pieces, including rubbing, scuffing and losses to the exterior covering, oxidation and discoloration to the hardware, and staining, discoloration and wear to the interior fabric and fitted bed. Despite this wear, the survival of the original fitted case is an important part of the set's history, completeness and presentation. The 220-gram figure is the gross combined weight of the complete knife and fork. Because the handles appear to be hollow-form construction, this should not be interpreted as the net weight of .950 silver.
