Silver Knife Rests by Sandoz for Christofle Galia

Silver plated knife rests, created by Marcel Eduoard Sandoz  are individually cast with six different  cubist animal forms for a total of twelve rests- a complete boxed set ! These miniature sculptures were commissioned by Christofle for their “Galia Line” in the late 1920′s.  Used in the First Class Dining Room of the French Ocean Liner the  S.S. Normandie, it was also made available to the public as an extravagant gift set as displayed here in its original box. The box bears the embossed seal of the distributor H. Descamps “tout pour cadeaux ” (all for gifts).

Sandoz is a renowned Swiss designer and sculptor, famous for his larger works in bronze, stone and porcelain. He is considered one of the leading artists working in the Art Deco Style and his career included work in chemistry, physics and invention. Sandoz had a special fascination with animal forms and his guiding  philosophy was that    “Art must include love, nature, and science,”

photo  portrait of Eduoardo Sandoz  

Knife rests are rare in the United States but are “de rigueur” for any formal French table setting. Use them to “rest your knife” (as shown) or simply consider them a special collection of petite sculptures from an important artist.  The name Christofle adds to their value, and the Galia mark further distinguishes them as being from Christofle’s most avant garde line.