In 1928 Albert Frederic Saunders (American, born British, 1878-1964) designed Benedict Modernistic silver plate. It was made by Benedict Manufacturing Corporation, 1874-1953, located in Syracuse, New York, United States.
Benedict Modernistic consists both of serving pieces such as trays and pitchers as well as silverware. The silverware is very complementary to Reuben Haley's Ruba Rombic glass. The silverware is extremely hard to find.
Albert Saunders is probably best known for his collaboration with George Switzer for the design in 1932 of the "Nocturne" cocktail set in Benedict silver plate. A set sold at Sotheby's for $12,500 as lot 49 in their 20th Century Design sale on December 15, 2012.
I have included several of the Benedict Modernistic design patents in the picture gallery. These are dated after Consolidated Glass Company introduced Reuben Haley's Ruba Rombic at the Fort Pitt Hotel show in January 1928.
Benedict Modernistic serving pieces are illustrated in an original Benedict Modernistic catalog I owned. However, their very hard to find silverware is not included. Benedict Modernistic hit the market in 1928 and soon ran into the stiff headwinds of the Great Depression in 1929. Given the scarcity of Benedict Modernistic, especially the silverware, it is apparent that the Great Depression impacted its sales.
it has become a desirable Art Deco icon with examples in several 20th Century design collections (Brooklyn Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, etc.) and books.
