Silver Plated Four-Place Egg Cruet Set with Carrying Stand and Spoon Rests

Silver-plated egg cruet with matching pedestal cups.
Square footed tray with an upright loop handle.
Pierced and fluted cups with rope-pattern rims.
Engraved floral and foliate decoration.
Integral oval spoon rests and cup-locating pegs.

Approximate dimensions

Base: 135 × 135 mm (5.31 × 5.31")

Condition

A pale powdery deposit is present on the interiors of the egg cups. Tarnish and areas of discolouration are present across the silver-plated surfaces, which may be polished if preferred. The stamped marks on the underside are faint but partly legible.

Description

A silver-plated four-place egg cruet comprising a square tray, an upright carrying frame and four removable pedestal egg cups. The components are arranged symmetrically around the central support.

The square tray has rounded corners, a shallow raised edge and a border of closely spaced rectangular ribs. It stands on four spherical feet. Four shallow oval depressions are incorporated into the upper surface as spoon rests, with four upright locating pegs positioned around the central frame.

The tray is engraved with floral and foliate sprays formed from flowers, leaves, fern-like fronds and scrolling stems. A larger symmetrical arrangement is engraved near the front edge.

The central frame rises from a stepped circular mount. Two narrow rods spread upwards before curving together to form a tall loop handle. A smaller arched brace between the rods terminates in a spherical finial. Four open-ended circular hooks project from the frame to support the removable cups.

Each egg cup has a rounded bowl with closely spaced vertical fluting, a pierced band of elongated openings beneath the rim and a broad projecting border decorated with repeated diagonal ribs. The bowl is raised on a narrow waisted stem and stepped circular foot. A central opening beneath each foot fits over a corresponding peg on the tray.

The underside bears a group of faint stamped marks, including the readable letters “EPNS” beneath a small device and an indistinct number or code.

Egg cruets of this form were made for serving boiled eggs at the dining table, with the individual cups held together on a portable stand and the adjoining depressions intended to accommodate spoons. The form was particularly associated with formal tableware during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Object Type: Egg Cruet Set
Age: 1900–1940
Era / Period: Early 20th Century
Material: Silver-Plated Metal
Finish: Polished
Production Technique: Pressed Cast and Assembled
Decoration Technique: Engraved Pierced and Fluted

Egg Cruet Set Silver Plated Four Cups Spoon Rests Carrying Stand EPNS