1775730843Code R815 Silver CutlerySilver cutlery set with a nominal fineness of 800/millesimi, Castiglione model, made by Broggi of Milan for the ITALIA FLOTTE RIUNITE shipping company between 1932 and 1936.
The cutlery set was used by both the Captain and the first class of the REX ocean liner.
The set for six people consists of 13 types of cutlery for a total of 78 pieces (3381 g) + 15 serving pieces (1480 g), for a total of 93 pieces weighing 4.481 kg.
The set consists of:
spoon, fork, and knife (large and small for fruit); three teaspoons (fruit, ice cream, and coffee); four types of fish cutlery; and 15 serving pieces.
The pieces are engraved with the 800 mark. F. Broggi within a rectangle and all bear the ITALIA coat of arms surmounted by a crown on the handle, a detailed report by Pierluigi Rossi, expert in antique silverware, is attached.
The REX ocean liner, built in just 15 months, was launched on August 1, 1931, in the presence of 200,000 people. It was built at the Ansaldo factories in Genoa, founded in 1846 by Camillo di Cavour. In 1930, they employed 13,000 workers and 1,500 office staff. They were the largest and most comprehensive organization in the world, capable of designing and building in their own workshops, using their own materials and labor, the largest and most powerful military and merchant ships, complete with engines and all auxiliary equipment. They also produced electrical machines of all types, steam and electric locomotives, railway carriages, and cutting-edge metallurgical products. They also produced cars, tanks, submarines, artillery, projectiles, torpedo launchers, and precision optical and electronic equipment. It was the largest ship built in Italy before World War II. It accommodated 2,032 passengers and 850 crew members in maximum comfort, with air-conditioned cabins equipped with telephones. On board were two swimming pools, gyms, a cinema and theater, a library with 2,000 volumes, a photography studio, a parish church, spas and physiotherapy, and several shops. The 500-square-meter Baroque-style ballroom featured a 170-square-meter kilim carpet handcrafted in Anatolia. The excellent catering for all classes served 8,700 meals daily, with a 12-course menu in first class. The REX was the first Italian liner to be used for cruises, and was equipped with air conditioning. From 1931 to 1940, it was a protagonist of Italian and international life, carrying the most important passengers of the time: kings, nobles, clergymen, politicians, poets, singers, musicians, and hundreds of thousands of people. On March 16, 1933, the first intercontinental radio broadcast was broadcast from the powerful radio station aboard the Rex, transmitted live to America and Europe. Millions of people listened to Schubert's Ave Maria sung by soprano Rosa Ponselle on the occasion of the Holy Year.
On August 16, 1933, sailing the 3,129 miles from Gibraltar to the New York lightship in 4 days, 13 hours, and 58 minutes, she won the Blue Riband, the coveted trophy for the fastest Atlantic crossing, snatching the record from the German liners "Bremen" and "Europa." She was the only Italian ship to achieve this feat, entering world naval history and reviving the excellence and quality of Italian shipbuilding. Between 1933 and 1940, she enabled approximately 50,000 Jews to leave Europe for the United States, becoming the "Ship of Salvation." Racial laws were suspended on board, and a rabbi and a kosher cook were permanently on duty. On March 6, 2024, the REX crew was inducted into the Garden of the Righteous Worldwide in Milan with a commemorative ceremony at Monte Stella. In May 1940, its transatlantic service ended because the crossings had become dangerous. With Italy's entry into the war, to save it from the bombing of Genoa, it was transferred to the port of Trieste, making its only voyage in the Adriatic, with shielded lights rather than the bright ones dreamed of by director Fellini in the film Amarcord. On September 8, 1944, the REX was moved from the port of Trieste to avoid the British bombing of the city. Under tow between Izola and Koper, it ran aground near the shore. Located by the British RAF, it was attacked by bomber squadrons. The futile attack caused the ship to list and sink on its port side and a violent fire on board that lasted four days. After the war, the wreck remained in the Yugoslavian area and was dismantled to recover the metals it was made of.
