Tea caddy spoon
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1843-1844
This silver tea caddy spoon is fashioned in the form of a bird. Its broad bowl represents the body feathers, detailed with overlapping feather motifs, while the tapered handle forms the bird's neck and head. Stamped inside the bowl are marks including the maker's initials 'JW', possibly for Joseph Willmore, alongside marks for sterling standard, date, and duty.
The spoon was produced in Birmingham, England, between 1843 and 1844. Made of silver, the implement measures 7.50 cm in length, 3.90 cm in width, and 2.00 cm in height.
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
Until the second half of the 18th century, the lid of a tea caddy typically served as a measure for loose tea. As tea caddies evolved around 1760 into flatter, box-like containers, separate measuring implements became necessary. Early caddy spoons commonly took the form of shells, partly reflecting shells packed with tea samples and because fluting strengthened thin silver sheets, while other designs drew from cutlery patterns, serving ladles, or figural forms.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Silver
- Dimensions
- Height: 2.00 cm; Length: 7.50 cm; Width: 3.90 cm
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Research required; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: In bowl: maker JW for Joseph Willmore (?), sterling, date, duty,; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: A8728; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- Joseph Willmore
- Place recorded
- Birmingham
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Tea caddy spoon
- Museum object number
- M.114-1937
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.