THE ANTIQUE Silver fruit bowls
With summer nearly here, you might be looking for a special wedding or anniversary gift to bestow on a favourite family member, or a piece of ‘statement’ tableware to add a spritz of glitz to a garden party. Whatever the reason, an antique silver fruit bowl is top of the list for consideration, firstly because there are lots of lovely designs to discover, and secondly because the precious metal silver is remarkably affordable, especially at auction. Fruit was a luxury in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and most middle-class households strove to show theirs off in a custom-made fruit bowl, often made of silver. Antique fruit bowls are footed, standing on a little pedestal to be used as a table or sideboard centrepiece. They are often very decorative, too; chased and embossed with borders of apples and pears, grapes, peaches and pomegranates, and fruiting vines. The styles range from Scandi
