The crest on our knife and fork, ‘on a mount, vert, a beacon, or, inflamed, proper,’ is unrecorded on Bow porcelain and is identified in Fairburn’s Crests as being used by the Compton family, the principal branch of which are the Earls of Northampton.[1]

Tony Stevenson, in his review of Bow and Worcester knife and fork hafts, noted the rarity of crested cutlery and listed five other Bow examples[2]. Stevenson observed that all these different Bow crested handles were all on the same moulded form and all made around the year 1753 -1755. He identified each crest starting with the most famous set made for the Mendes family, distinguished Jewish traders operating across Europe. Stevenson noted a sixth single handle that was on the London market that was too rubbed to be identifiable.[3]

The use of gilding over a brown underlay is characteristic of the decoration found on ‘Muses’ modeller period figures which suggests a date early in the 1750s.

We are grateful to John Hudson for help in identifying the crest.

Condition:
Slight cracks to fork handle, surface wear mostly to the fork handle

References:

Fairburn 1911
Fairbairn’s crests of the leading families in Great Britain and Ireland and their kindred in other lands, (Heraldic Publishing Company, New York, 1911)

Stevenson 1989
Tony Stevenson, ‘A Review of Bow & Worcester Knife and Fork Hafts’, English Ceramic Circle Transactions, vol.13, pt. 3, (1989)

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[1] Fairburn 1911, pl. 89, crest 9.

[2] Stevenson 1989, pl. 187.

[3] Phillips, Son & Neale, 7 September 1988, lot 270.

Price: £900.00