Pair of antique sterling silver fox place card holders

This charming and unusual pair of antique silver menu or place card holders is beautifully modelled as fox heads and cast in sterling silver. The eyes are onyx and the foxes are fitted in their original presentation box.

As a fine and traditional addition to fine dining, it was the Victorians who first introduced menu holders to our dining tables. Silver menu holders and place card holders were first created to hold a card displaying the menu and, rather than putting a place card holder and name in front of each diner as we often do today, silver menu holders were spread and passed around the dining table. For that reason, we most frequently find sets of four silver menu holders, or pairs. Larger sets of six and eight can be found, while ten or a dozen silver menu or place card holders are fairly rare.