DALLAS, TX.- From timeless classics to bold modern design, Heritage’s Nov. 12 Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu Signature® Auction brings together exceptional silver spanning eras and continents.

Leading the auction is a 618-piece Grimaldi pattern partial vermeil silver flatware service from Maison Odiot. Representing a grand undertaking by the renowned Parisian firm, the monumental ensemble, which dates to circa 1900, includes flatware service for 24 and banquet service for 96. Executed in the Pearls pattern, it was later renamed Grimaldi after the royal family selected the design, which underscores both the dynastic associations of the pattern and the enduring appeal of neoclassical motifs in French decorative arts.

The combination of sterling silver and vermeil enriches the ensemble, with gilding reserved for serving implements and select presentation pieces. Meanwhile, the scale of the service reflects the elaborate dining practices of elite households at the turn of the 20th century and the role of silver as a visible marker of wealth and social standing.

“Large Odiot services are known but seldom remain intact,” says Karen Rigdon, Vice President of Fine Silver & Decorative Arts at Heritage Auctions. “Many have been divided or reduced over time, making this 618-piece service an unusually extensive and well-preserved survival. It stands as a testament to Odiot’s enduring reputation for excellence and the continued reverence for French craftsmanship at the dawn of the 20th century.”

The auction features a number of works by famed English silversmith Paul Storr, highlighted by a fine pair of silver wine coolers from 1817. The wine coolers, each of fluted baluster form, sit on four scrolled wave feet, the furl leading to leafed oak branches with acorns and foliate scroll bracket handles. Each wine cooler also bears the coat of arms of Charles Chetwynd-Talbot (1777-1849), 2nd Earl Talbot, Knight of the Garter (installed 1812).

Other Storr highlights include an engraved silver serving tray from 1815, a pair of silver covered vegetable dishes from 1809 and a silver covered soup tureen from 1822.

Leading the American lots is a circa 1810-20 silver pap bowl by Peter Bentzon, the only early American silversmith of African descent identifiable by a personal hallmark. Born on the island of St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies circa 1783, Bentzon was born free to an Afro-Caribbean mother and a European father. As a child, he was sent to Philadelphia, where he received formal schooling and later apprenticed as a silversmith. By 1806, he had completed his training and returned to St. Croix, establishing a shop that produced flatware, hollowware and jewelry.

Bentzon moved repeatedly between the Caribbean and Philadelphia, building clientele in both regions. His work reflects the restrained Federal and early Classical styles popular in Philadelphia silver of the early 19th century, while his Caribbean practice included more modest repair and trade work. Bentzon marked his silver with “P. Bentzon” or “PB,” and fewer than 30 surviving examples are known today. The rarity of his work is further underscored by its market history: Only a handful of objects with his mark have appeared at auction.

A standout in the American offerings is a rare Tiffany & Co. silver and mixed metal tea set that dates to circa 1880. The magnificent four-piece set, featuring flattened ovoid forms, is a triumph of Aesthetic-era innovation, with hand-hammered surfaces engraved with seagrass and applied sea life in copper and bronze.

Also from Tiffany & Co. comes a 13-piece 18k gold demitasse and sugar tong set in its original fitted box, a 164-piece English King pattern silver flatware service for eight and an eight-piece silver tea and coffee set with tray.

Modern artistry gleams in Georg Jensen’s elegant Danish designs; the spirited midcentury Taxco, Mexico, jewelry from the Collection of Billy Williams of Carpinteria, California; and the sculptural Modernist works of Stephen O’Meara (1954-2022), whose pieces unite contemporary vision with time-honored craft.

While O’Meara operated galleries in Denver, Santa Fe and Scottsdale, building a reputation as a dealer in 19th- and 20th-century American art, he turned fully to silversmithing in the early 2000s. From his workshop came collections of table silver, luxury gifts and sculptural objects, including works like the hand-wrought silver Horn bowl offered in Heritage’s Nov. 12 auction.

“Stephen O’Meara’s handcrafted works in silver and gold revive the grandeur of America’s golden age of silversmithing,” Rigdon says, “while bearing the unmistakable mark of a modern master. For collectors, his work represents a rare opportunity: objects of beauty created in an era when such mastery is coveted.”