Spoon — Spoon from the so-called 'Rouen Treasure' hoard, Rouen, France, 1300-1400
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1300-1400
Spoon in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 110-1865), made in Rouen, France, dated 1300-1400. The museum's brief description reads: Silver spoon, France, 1350.. Museum description: A silver, parcel-gilt spoon, with deep, slightly pointed circular bowl attached to the stem by a gilt monster's head. The flat stem tapers to a gilt acorn-shaped finial. The museum records it as Silver, parecl-gilt, measuring Length 16.8 cm; Width 5 cm; Depth 1.8 cm; Weight 0.04 kg. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
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.
Historical context
Spoons and knives were the most commonly used items of cutlery during this period and spoons survive in the greatest numbers. Diners still used their fingers for many dishes, but spoons were essential for eating soft, wet foods such as sauces and pottages (soup-like dishes). Only the wealthiest households would own silver spoons; less affluent homes might use spoons made from wood, bone or base metals. Inventories from noble residences record huge quantities of spoons. In a list drawn up in 1306 of plate and jewels owned by the dukes of Brittany, three of groups of 17, 54 and 58 silver spoons were noted alongside the huge quantities of other dining plate [see Lightbown, Secular Goldsmiths' Work in Medieval France, 1978, p. 34]. The focus for decoration was usually the finial or knop at the end of the stem, here representing an acorn. The majority of guests provided their own cutlery when eating away from home and many spoons bear marks of ownership.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Silver
- Dimensions
- Length 16.8 cm; Width 5 cm; Depth 1.8 cm; Weight 0.04 kg
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Silver, parecl-gilt
- Place recorded
- Rouen, France
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- town mark in the bowl: an Agnus Dei (lamb of God) in a circle
Identification
- Museum object name
- Spoon
- Museum object number
- 110-1865
- Museum system number
- O69005
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 catalogue references against a specialist reference.