Mother-of-Pearl & Sterling Silver Pocket Knife - Thomas Marples, 1858.

A particularly decorative Victorian folding fruit knife by Thomas Marples of Sheffield in 1858, combining a hallmarked sterling silver blade with an exceptionally finely engraved mother-of-pearl handle.

The handle is the outstanding feature of this piece. Shaped mother-of-pearl scales have been extensively worked with scrolling foliate engraving and circular rosette motifs, creating a richly ornamented surface that catches the natural pink, green and silver iridescence of the shell. The ends are finished with distinctive fluted shell decoration.

At the centre is a shaped cartouche engraved “B. Howlett”, preserving the name of an early owner and adding an appealing element of personal history to the piece.

The folding silver blade bears a clearly struck series of hallmarks, including the T.M maker's mark associated with Thomas Marples, the noted Sheffield specialist in silver pocket fruit knives. The blade has a very slight bend at towards the end but is in overall very good condition. Marples worked for some fifty years producing precisely this type of finely made personal fruit knife, and his surviving examples are now particularly collectable.

Silver-bladed fruit knives were fashionable personal accessories throughout the 19th century. Silver was ideally suited to cutting fruit because it resisted the corrosive effects of acidic juices, while the folding construction allowed the knife to be conveniently carried in a pocket, reticule or travelling case.

An unusually decorative example of Victorian Sheffield craftsmanship, distinguished by its extensive mother-of-pearl engraving, personalised cartouche and finely made sterling silver blade

Maker: Thomas Marples
Origin: Sheffield, England
Period: Victorian
Materials: Sterling silver and mother of pearl
Form: Folding fruit knife
Inscription: “B. Howlett”