A Short History of Grand Dining

6th July 2026

Images of a banqueting table groaning with rich food have been employed to signal the splendour and power of the ruling classes for centuries. Ancient Egyptians and Romans fashioned bowls and spoons from silver, valuing the metal not just for status but for its natural antibacterial properties. The fact that silver has always been an expensive material means that its use has long been synonymous with wealth.

The service à la française style of dining, popularised during King Louis XIV’s fashionable reign at Versailles, saw a full complement of cutlery and tableware arranged alongside ornately dressed food arranged over trays, serving dishes, bowls and tureens. The centre of the table was reserved for the surtout de table, an elaborate object worked in silver or silver-gilt. During the Regency period, service à la russe took precedence, where already plated food was brought to diners by serving staff, sequentially, in distinct courses. A fashion for sitting at large, rectangular dining tables and where guests were served plates of food, saw the surtout de table centrepieces become larger and even more ambitious.

A democratisation in the ownership of silverware in middle-class households took place in the Industrial Revolution, where silver plating was made possible first through the invention of Sheffield plate (1760-1840) and later, through the development of Elkington’s electroplating. Items included in the Silver & Objects of Vertu sale on Tuesday 14^th July tell a story of the rich history of dining, with silver tableware from historic to more modern designs.

Director and Silver specialist Rupert Slingsby said, "Our sale includes a great selection of serving platters, meat dishes, dinner plates and a host of other pieces to lend a sense of occasion to any dining table."

A selection of highlights include:

• Lot 373 A modern, parcel-gilt silver caviar dish and cover by William Comyns, London 2006, estimate £3,500-£4,000
• Lot 280 A late 19^th century German silver Nef by Neresheimer of Hanau, also with the mark of Berthold Muller, estimate: £2,000-£3,000
• Lot 374 A Victorian silver revolving breakfast dish, Sibray Hall and Co. London 1890, estimate £2,000-£3,000
• Lot 447 A set of six Victorian silver dessert plates/bowls by Stephen Smith & William Nicholson, London 1862, estimate £4,000-£6,000
• Lot 376 An Edwardian silver punch bowl by Daniel & John Wellby, London 1908, estimate: £1,000-£1,500
• Lot 372 A cased pair of George II silver tea caddies and a sugar bowl and cover, by Samuel Taylor, London 1747, estimate: £2,000-£3,000