Carving set, `Studio', consisting of a knife and fork, stainless steel, Sheffield, made by Viners Ltd., designed by Gerald Benney CBE, RDI, 1960-69

Carving knife, stainless steel. The handle, rectangular in section, square end, horizontal texturing on the upper and lower surfaces, the edges plain; the blade of polished stainless steel joined to the handle by a through tang, straight back, the lower edge with a sloping heel and upwardly curved edge terminating in a pointed tip.

Carving fork, stainless steel. The handle, rectangular in section, square end, horizontal texturing on the upper and lower surfaces, the edges plain; two tines slightly flared joined to the handle by a plain neck with a folding finger guard on the upper edge.

Given by Georgina Herrmann in memory of her husband, Luke Herrmann.

Gerald Benney CBE, RDI (1930-2008) was not only one of Britain’s most distinguished silversmiths in the latter half of the 20th century, the holder of four Royal Warrants, but also an outstanding industrial designer. In 1957, he was appointed consultant designer to Viners, the Sheffield manufacturer of domestic silver, electroplate and stainless steel wares which gave him, for the first time, a degree of financial stability. Viners offered him a retainer of £1000 per annum, a respectable salary for someone Benney’s age in those days, which Benney refused. Showing a business acumen which has always stood him in good stead, he suggested a lower retainer of £800 p.a. with the proviso that he would receive, in addition 1¼% of the wholesale value on those lines that he designed. It perhaps comes as no surprise that his annual income from Viners always considerably exceeded their original offer. At its zenith, in the 1960s, Viners employed over a thousand workers. Benney designed and supervised the production of some of their most successful ranges of cutlery such as the `Chelsea’ and the `Studio’ patterns. The `Chelsea’ range, with its alternating polished and matt surfaces was probably the first in Britain to be entirely machine made, using flow line production methods and the `Studio’, was the first stainless steel ware to be decorated in high relief. Both lines became international best sellers. For example, in 1967 the `Chelsea’ pattern was selling up to four thousand dozen pieces weekly and the `Studio’, some fifteen hundred. These enormous sales were achieved because of good designs being adapted to production efficiency. One of the last developments that Benney pursued with Viners before he severed his connection with them in 1969 was no scrap blanking which meant that cutlery could be stamped from sheet steel without any expensive waste.

This carving set complements other `Studio’ cutlery samples that we have designed by Gerald Benney and provides a useful comparison to the `Alveston’ carving set, designed by his contemporary, Robert Welch, in our collection of 20th century cutlery.

M.41:1, 2-2017