A solid silver four piece coffee set by the renowned silversmith Gerald Benney (b. April 1930 – d. June 2008). The four pieces consist of a coffee pot, milk jug, sugar bowl and spoon. Each of the pieces, apart from the spoon are stamped to the base ‘GERALD BENNEY LONDON’ All pieces carry 5 hallmarks. AGB = Adrian Gerald Benney Leopard head = London London passant: London 925 C = date letter for 1977 Queens Head = Silver Jubliee 1977 Gerald Benney is regarded as one of the most outstanding silversmiths in England from the last three centuries. Like Paul de Lamerie in the 18th century and Paul Storr during the 19th century, Benney excelled at his craft during the 20th century. His work spans some six decades and he received many commissions including those from the Royal Family. He was the first craftsman to hold four Royal Warrants simultaneously: from HM The Queen, The Queen Mother, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. This four piece coffee set is an excellent example of Benney’s virtuosity, showing his distinctive textured surface that became known as ‘Benney Bark’, a design that came from an accidental discovery. The whole piece is handcrafted and the distinctive texturing covers a large amount of the silver surface. He also popularised post war stainless steel designs along with David Mellor and Robert Welch, who were all influenced by Scandinavian design, particularly the work of Georg Jensen.

Coffee Pot

Height: 25.5cm

Width of lid: 6.5cm

Diameter of base: 13.5cm

Weight: 1080g

Milk/cream Jug

Height: 10cm

Diameter of base: 8.8cm

Top diameter: 6.5cm

Weight: 320g

Sugar Bowl

Height: 7.7cm

Width including handles: 15.6cm

Diameter of base: 8.5cm

Spoon

Width: 12.3cm

Depth: 2.7cm

Weight of bowl and spoon: 340g