A complete (140) piece service for twelve including: (12) knives (9.75 in); (12) dinner forks (8 in); (12) place forks (7.25 in); (12) salad forks; (12) teaspoons; (12) cream soup spoons; (12) gumbo soup spoons; (12) ice cream forks; (12) demitasse spoons; (12) cocktail forks; (12) butter spreaders; (2) serving spoons; cold meat fork; roast fork; sugar spoon; jelly server; butter pick; and olive fork. This service was designed by Eliel Saarinen in 1927 for "The Architect and the Industrial Arts," the Metropolitan Museum of Art's eleventh exhibition of contemporary American design. The museum requested that all furnishings and accessories for a room be included, stipulating that no object could be in current production. For the exhibit, Saarinen created a dining room complete with four new patterns of flatware, including "Contempora." The "Contempora" flatware prototype was made by Dominick & Haff and featured a seven-piece place setting in a skyscraper inspired design. This design received some critical acclaim, but was not a commercial success and was discontinued in 1930. For further information please see "Modern Flatware Design: The Viande/Grill/Vogue Style" by William P. Hood, Jr. in the Magazine Antiques, February 2003. Also see "Modernism in American Silver - 20th Century Design" by Jewel Stern, pages 102-106.

137.6 total weighable troy ozs.

Very fine condition with minimal expected light scratching.

(6) place forks, the butter pick, and the olive fork are marked "R&B" for Reed & Barton. The remaining (132) pieces bear the Dominick & Haff hallmark.

$6,000 - 9,000