Exquisite & rare antique French sterling silver 24pd dinner sized flatware set, a 3pc setting for eight with a fabulous Gothic style pattern and interlaced "FT" or "TF" monograms! Large & heavy, these are dinner sized pieces and consist of eight each of forks, spoons and even the matching knives! The silversmith marks on ALL pieces are for Armand Fresnais, Paris circa 1877-1927. A magnificent ensemble! I haven't yet found the exact pattern in our reference guide but similar patterns are referred to as "Ferule" (though this pattern is quite a bit more ornate than those). Definitely Gothic in style and as elegant as can be! Simply gorgeous! All forks & spoons in heavy, solid old French sterling silver and bear the French Minerve or Minerva hallmark, as do the handles of the knives. The tiny number "1" within those marks means they're in .950 silver (95% pure and higher than the .925 standard for "sterling" silver). Rare to find matching knives, a glorious set for a smaller gathering. Magnificent, don't miss them!
Very good condition. Some surface scuffs to the silver, indicative of light use and age but no damage or repairs to note on any of the flatware. The knife blades are all in wonderful condition and only have a few faint age/tarnish marks on them. Stamps on the blades read "A. Fresnais, Paris". See pictures for individual weights and measurements.
