Silver and 14 carat gold, USA, LaMesa, California, 1994, designed and made by Helen Shirk

The server has a narrow triangular blade made up of several long irregular strips running most of the length of the blade and overlapped double in most places. The surface is further embellished by laid-on, irregular, narrow gold strips. The handle is constituted of five strips, all of convex form so as to make an irregularly rounded hollow handle of roughly oval cross section. The surface is decorated on top of the blade and both sides of the handle by a scored, engraved effect that was achieved by irregular hammer blows with a sharply scored hammer face and which gives the surface a bright cut, crystalline appearance. The server proves to be quite functional for both cake and pastry.

Given by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of Professor B. Seymour Rabinovitch

Part of a collection of fish slices commissioned by Professor Rabinovitch from contemporary North American and British makers.

This server is a freely formed version of the infrequent, small, mid eighteenth century pastry trowel. The style is a very personal one. It draws from the patterns and images of growth, life and death that the artist sees in nature. It is itself almost like a "found object"; a natural specimen that holds all the surprise of a glinting rock embedded in a stratum. Helen Shirk has boldly exploited the extensive range of texture effects that are possible in silver.

M.118-2008