spoon, Sadler, Thomas, 1702-1703

This is an example of a type of spoon described as a 'trefid' pattern, so-called after the way the end of the stem is split into three sections. The design is completely different to that of earlier spoons made in England, and is almost certainly inspired by contemporary examples from the Continent, particularly France. Goldsmiths' Company court minutes from the 1660s refer to 'French fashion spoons', which probably looked similar to this one. This new fashion meant the finial of the spoon was designed so that the spoon could be placed on the table with its open bowl down (the opposite of how it would be placed on the table today). This is why the initials of the original owners are engraved on what we would now think of as the back of the spoon.

The date and initials pricked on the back may commemorate a christening or a marriage. 'Pricking' or 'pouncing' was a method which used punched dots to define letters or a design. It was cheaper and quicker than engraving, and became popular in the early seventeenth century. However, because the punched dots rarely made a profound impression on the surface of the silver, they have often been worn away. This is also an early example of plate made to the higher standard of silver that became compulsory for the trade between 1696 and 1720. In 1696 an act of Parliament raised the standard of wrought plate from 925 parts of pure silver (known as ‘sterling standard’) to 958 parts of pure silver per thousand. This was an attempt to stop people removing silver coins of sterling standard from circulation and converting them into cups, dishes and other items of plate. The higher standard for plate was reflected in new marks: the mark of the lion passant (the sterling standard mark) was replaced by the figure of Britannia, and in London the mark of the London assay office (a leopard’s head crowned) was replaced by a lion’s head erased. After 1720, goldsmiths and their patrons could choose either sterling or Britannia standards for their wares.

silver, trefid end with reeded rat tail.