Spoon, London, 1684-5
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1684-5
Spoon in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 1987-1898), made in London, dated 1684-5. The museum's brief description reads: Silver, English, London, 1684-85, maker's mark 'SH' over a star, in a shaped punch.. Museum description: silver, trefid end with lace or fancy back and decorated finial. Signs of corrosion overall, consistent with spoon being buried. The museum records it as silver; forging, measuring Length 20 cm; Weight 58.6 g. 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
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). The stamped decoration on the finial and bowl is achieved by hammering the spoon into a die in which the decoration has been cut. Spoons of this form decorated in this way are known as 'lace back' trefids, and they are perhaps the commonest and best-known type of decorated trefid. The three initials pricked on the back are almost certainly those of a husband and his wife. The top initial is the man's family name; the two letters below are the initials of the first name of the husband and wife. '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.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- silver
- Dimensions
- Length 20 cm; Weight 58.6 g
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- silver; forging
- Place recorded
- London
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- L to R from bowl, on back of stem: Maker's mark, initials 'SH' over a star in a shaped shield; leopard's head crowned, the London assay office mark; lion passant, for sterling standard silver; gothic 'g' in a shield, date letter for the assay year 1684-85.; Pricked on the back of the finial (ie. on the side where the hallmarks are), a triad of initials, 'B' over 'W * E', the triad framed about with clusters of four dots.
Identification
- Museum object name
- Spoon
- Museum object number
- 1987-1898
- Museum system number
- O296902
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 date against a specialist reference.