Spoon, nephrite jade, India, 19th century
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
19th century
This delicately crafted spoon with gold mounts was probably made in India and has been fashioned from nephrite jade. It probably dates to the 19th century and was previously owned by the notable collector of Mughal jade and rock crystal objects, Colonel Charles Seton Guthrie. These were all transferred to the South Kensington Museum, later renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum, in 1879.
A spoon with a delicately formed bowl and curved stem fashioned in pale yellowish green nephrite jade. At the end of the handle there is an attached small scoop, fashioned in white nephrite jade. The junction has been concealed by a collar of gold that has two sets of four equally spaced, small round holes. The holes of one set are aligned with those in the other set, with one set being separated from the other by a ridge in the gold collar. The jade has been given a reasonable polish.
This spoon was probably made in India before 1868, and was originally in the Guthrie collection.
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
- Material
- White and pale yellowish green nephrite jade, gold. Fashioned using a variety of techniques, using abrasives and abrasive-charged tools.
- Dimensions
- Length: 84.3 mm; Length: 36.1 mm; Width: 23.6 mm; Depth: 5.4 mm; Depth: 4.7 mm; Diameter: 9.0 to 9.3 mm; Length: 12.4 mm; Width: 13.7 mm; Depth: 5.2 mm; Depth: 2.0 mm
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- India
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-O472419
- Museum object name
- Spoon
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum object number
- 02602(IS)
- Museum system number
- O472419
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.