‘Table for Twelve’ flatware service, curated by Murray Moss

I've always been intrigued by salesmen’s sample sets, a common item in the early 20th century, as salesmen needed to take their products 'on the road' to show to potential customers. I've never understood the 'rule' that everything on the table should match – certainly that is never the case with the guests (diversity is the norm when planning a good dinner party!). I thought it would be lovely to offer 12 different, and important, cutlery sets – an 'homage' to those salesmen’s sample sets as well as a gesture to honor the individualism of each guest at the table. The Sampler Set here is an important collection of historic designs, including those by Jean Nouvel, Angelo Mangiarotti, Enzo Mari, Achille Castiglioni, and Josef Hoffmann, and includes both polished and matte stainless steel, as well as sterling and plated silver. This Set, diverse in form and material and yet consistent with the number and function of pieces within each set, is a riff on one of my favorite forms of 'intimate' sculpture: cutlery.