Two Silver 'King Alfred the Great' Placecard Holders

£540 | 540 | 540

Stock number: 20C269

Two Silver 'King Alfred the Great' Placecard Holders

Two large silver placecard holders in the form of the celebrated King Alfred the Great.

In each, he is depicted in traditional pose, in full robes, holding a sword up to the sky.  On one, he is standing on an octagonal plinth; on the other, he is free-standing.

This is what we call a 'matched pair'. We firstly bought the one on the plinth, and then we spotted the free-standing one. They were both made by the same silversmith, but finished differently. You can see quite clearly that they came out of the same die.

These are very well-modelled pieces, based on the famous statue in Winchester, southern England. Alfred was King of Wessex from 871 - 899.

Placecard holders were a late Victorian favourite, which continued into the first three decades of the twentieth century. Silversmiths competed to design them in the most intricate styles, often using other materials including enamel and precious stones.  They often came in pairs, or sets of 4 or 6. Each one was put in front of a table-setting, and the guest's name was written on a piece of card that fitted into the back.  Larger holders were designed for menus to be displayed in the centre of the table, and they were usually made singly.

These excellent 'King Alfred the Great' silver placecard holders were made in 1910 and 1929 by Frederick Ross [one hallmarked in Chester, the other in London].


  • Heights:
    3 1/4 and 2 7/8 inches (8.5 and 7.5 cm)

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