Spoon, dog-nose pattern silver, London, 1703-1704
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1703-1704
The curved shape of the finial on this form of spoon has led modern collectors to refer to it as a ‘dog-nose’ or ‘wavy-ended’ shape. The three distinct sections of the finial which characterise the ‘trefid end’ spoon have merged, and the 'dog-nose' can be considered a transitional form between the ‘trefid end’ and the Hanoverian pattern of the 1710s onwards.
The three initials engraved on the back of this example are almost certainly those of a husband and his wife. Although these initials are engraved on what we would now think of as the back of the spoon, in fact at the time the spoon would have been placed on the table with its open bowl down, after the latest French fashion. Spoon, silver (Britannia standard), dog-nose pattern with rat-tail
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 3
- 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
- Material
- silver (Britannia standard)
- Dimensions
- Length: 19 cm; Weight: 45 g
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- London
Design
- Marks and inscriptions
- L to R on back of stem, from bowl of spoon: mark of John Ladyman (Grimwade no. 1897); figure of Britannia, the mark for Britannia standard silver; lion's head erased, mark of London assay office for Britannia standard silver; date letter 'h' for assay year 1703-04.; Triad of initials 'S' over 'A * A' engraved on back of finial.; A crest engraved on the front of the finial, out of a mural coronet, a talbot's head.
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London collection record for this single object (sentences kept verbatim apart from removed sale or rarity wording); how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Candidate id
- vam-O296262
- Museum object name
- Spoon
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum object number
- M.13-1975
- Museum system number
- O296262
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and dating against a specialist reference; this entry documents one recorded example.