Knife Rests

To me, blogs are becoming my own magazine of which I am the editor-in-chief!   When I see a blog I am interested in, I subscribe.  The authors posts are promptly downloaded into my inbox.   I can open the “articles” as time allows.   If a post isn’t of interest, I delete it, knowing I could always find it again.  If I am disappointed by the content time after time, I unsubscribe.  I still love quite time with my favorite paper magazines, but my convenient, customized, electronic periodical has become a splendid addendum to my reading pleasure.

One of the blogs I subscribe to is The Aesthete’s Lament.   I like “the Aesthete’s” appreciation for special things from days gone by.  To understand their devotion, click on knife rests, to read their historical account of these practical and decorative table accessories.

Basically, knife rests were used to protect tablecloths from being soiled as dishes were cleared between courses.   They were popular in the US beginning around the Victorian era, and in Europe prior to this time.  Over the years, they’ve become a frivolity that has gone by the wayside.

This post reminded me of a delightful set of knife rests I had received as a gift from a dear friend.

She had found them at a flea market in France and held on to them until just the right moment.  She gave them to me when she came boating with us one day.  

What a perfect hostess gift they were. In the hand they are weighty and solid. On each rest the anchor is embossed with irregular pressure. The surface of the silver blend metal is beautifully scratched, pitted and and scarred.

Were they used each night on an ocean going vessel, or did they just roll around in a drawer to the salty rhythm of the waves?  Or, had they made it to sea at all?