January 10th, 2016: Silverware or Art

[xoxoxoBruce]

Artists have always created things that look like ultra fancy versions of everyday items, but you know they aren't really usable...
even if you could afford them. This, Ménagère (Cutlery Set) by Salvador Dali, is a good example.



Can you imagine getting up in the middle of the night, craving the last rice pudding in the fridge, and tip-toeing out to the kitchen.
The light in the fridge robs you of your night vision, so you fumble in the drawer, and pull one of these pieces?
You could be traumatized for life. They don't look real practical so they must be art.
This has been driving me crazy because some websites show the six pieces on the right and some have these seven pieces,
but every damn one of this has the same description.

The six pieces are...
•Fourchette 4 dents à manche poisson (four tooth fork with a fish handle)
•Fourchette-éléphant 3 dents (elephant fork with three teeth)
•Couteau escargot aux larmes (snail knife with tears)
•Cocteau feuille (leaf knife)
•Petite cuillère-artichaut (small artichoke spoon)
•Cuillère-artichaut (artichoke spoon)
It sold for $28,125 in 1957.

I guess the one on the left is Spoony.

Come to think of it, you don't need gilt silver to be art. I think my pewter set from KongeTinn may qualify as art
because it doesn't get used. My mother would give us some for Christmas every year, place settings, serving utensils,
steak knives, and the weird stuff like cheese slicer.



It does have Vikings all over it, maybe I could have it engraved with "Winter is Coming."

link

[Clodfobble]

Maybe the seventh isn't included because it's part of the collection but not one of Dali's? It does look a little different than the others.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yes, Spoony looks like the same material, gilt silver, but it's curvier, smoother, without all the fussy detail of the other six. It maybe on display with the Ménagère because it's by Dali but from a different time. So many websites are dittoheads the picture with a contrary description just gets repeated.

[sexobon]

The seventh looks like a prank on southpaws.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I was thinking it was designed for southpaws, it your right hand it wouldn't go in your mouth. You'd have to slurp off the side like the posh do.

[sexobon]

Seems like a left hand hold would bring the handle in too close to the face. Bend one of your spoons and let us know.

[xoxoxoBruce]

That would depend on how you hold it, I guess.