English provincial silver apostle spoon with crowned X mark, 17th century
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
17th century, 1680
This 17th-century English provincial apostle spoon is crafted from silver and measures 7 1/2 inches in length. It features a characteristic fig-shaped bowl, which is pricked on the back with the initials "IL/L" and the date "1680".
The spoon has a flattened handle, which terminates in a decorative finial shaped as a roughly cast gilt figure of an apostle, complete with a rosette halo. The piece exhibits gilding that has been rubbed on the high spots from use, along with surface scratches and slight dings to the bowl. The weight of the spoon is approximately 1 ounce 10 pennyweights, or 50 grams. It bears a hallmark featuring a crowned X, which is likely associated with the city of Exeter.
Apostle spoons of this period typically featured such religious iconography at the finial, representing saints or apostles, and were often gifted during baptisms or as secular commemorative items.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Length
- 7 1/2 in.
- Weight
- 50 g (1 oz 10 dwt)
- Material
- silver
Technical characteristics
- Mark
- crowned X, probably Exeter
Design
- Bowl
- fig-shaped
- Finial
- gilt figure of an apostle with rosette halo
- Inscriptions
- IL/L and 1680 on back of bowl
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.