Description
Vintage Royal Crown Derby Posies Cheese Knife
This Royal Crown Derby Posies Cheese Knife dates from 1973 and combines an elegant bone china handle with a metal cheese blade. Decorated with the delicate flowers of the Derby Posies pattern, the knife represents an attractive example of the bone china handled cutlery once offered by Royal Crown Derby.
At approximately seven inches long, the piece has graceful proportions suitable for a cheese service or coordinated table setting. The floral handle gives an otherwise practical utensil the distinctive character of Royal Crown Derby china.
Derby Posies Floral Decoration
Derby Posies became one of Royal Crown Derby’s most recognizable floral patterns. Its loosely arranged flowers create a lighter and more informal appearance than the elaborate gilded decoration associated with some of the company’s other celebrated designs.
Small roses and garden flowers form delicate sprays across the white bone china handle. The varied blossoms and foliage create an appealing contrast with the polished metal component and allow the utensil to coordinate naturally with other Derby Posies tableware.
The elongated handle also gives the decoration room to unfold along the porcelain surface. This makes the floral design an integral part of the object rather than simply an accent at the end of the blade.
Royal Crown Derby Bone China Handled Cutlery
Royal Crown Derby described this category of utensils in its period literature as bone china handled cutlery. These pieces combined decorated china handles with functional metal components, extending familiar Royal Crown Derby patterns beyond conventional plates, cups and serving dishes.
The construction gave everyday table utensils a more decorative character. When paired with coordinating china, pieces such as this cheese knife could become part of a carefully assembled table service rather than functioning merely as separate implements.
Royal Crown Derby no longer produces this range of bone china handled utensils. Surviving examples provide an interesting record of the broader assortment of table accessories offered by the Derby factory during the twentieth century.
A 1973 Royal Crown Derby Cheese Knife
Purchased in 1973, this cheese knife has remained in the Bernardi Family Collection for more than five decades. Its known purchase date provides useful context for the piece and places it firmly within Royal Crown Derby’s early 1970s production.
The knife also reflects a period when established English china manufacturers offered coordinated accessories for many different aspects of dining and entertaining. A specialized cheese knife decorated to complement a china service illustrates the attention once given to creating a unified table setting.
Very Good Vintage Condition
The bone china handle remains in very good vintage condition with no chips or cracks. Its glossy surface and floral decoration have also been well preserved, allowing the Derby Posies design to retain its delicate appearance.
The intact condition is particularly desirable in vintage utensils that combine rigid bone china handles with fitted metal components. After more than fifty years, this example remains a well-preserved representative of Royal Crown Derby’s porcelain-handled table accessories.
As with vintage bone china handled cutlery generally, careful hand washing and gentle handling are recommended. Avoid prolonged soaking, dishwashers and abrupt temperature changes to help protect the porcelain and its connection to the metal fitting.
With Period Royal Crown Derby Presentation Box
The cheese knife comes with a period Royal Crown Derby presentation box. The fitted packaging complements the utensil and provides appropriate storage for the long porcelain-handled piece.
The survival of the box adds to the knife’s appeal as a collectible Royal Crown Derby accessory. Together, the Derby Posies decoration, known 1973 purchase date, intact bone china handle and period packaging create an attractive example for a Royal Crown Derby collection.
A Collectible Derby Posies Table Accessory
This cheese knife illustrates how Royal Crown Derby carried the Derby Posies pattern beyond traditional dinnerware into specialized serving accessories. Its combination of English bone china and functional metalwork gives it a distinctive place within the company’s twentieth-century production.
For collectors of Derby Posies, vintage English bone china or discontinued Royal Crown Derby table accessories, this Royal Crown Derby Posies Cheese Knife offers a well-preserved example with no chips or cracks and its period presentation box.
