Victoria's china pattern also found its way from her table to those who wanted to emulate her. Herend, the Hungarian porcelain maker, debuted their new
Far Eastern pattern at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, of which Queen Victoria was the patron. The queen spied the set, and liked it so much she purchased it, leading the company to change the pattern's name to
Queen Victoria in perpetuity. It has been one of Herend's most popular patterns.
Given the number of people, places and things that still bear Victoria's name today, from train stations to mountains to museums, it's not surprising that she had a lasting influence on our place settings. We may not lay the table with four forks at a time anymore, but next time you say "you could cut that with a butter knife," remember the queen. It was she who encouraged silver makers to round the ends of table knives to discourage diners from using them to spear bites instead of their forks. Any number of forks.
Queen Victoria Herend in the
April Estate Auction is below.
The April Estate Auction
Thursday, April 15th
10:00am (EDT)