Seal-top spoon
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1640-1650
This is an English silver seal-top spoon made between 1640 and 1650, possibly in Barnstaple in the South West of England by an unknown maker. Crafted from forged and engraved silver, with gilded silver details, the spoon measures 16 cm in total length from the tip of the finial to the tip of the bowl.
The spoon features a broad fig-shaped bowl joined to a slender stem terminating in a seal-shaped finial. The back of the bowl is engraved with the name "Drakelowe". Pricked into the flat top of the finial are the initials 'E G' over 'S (?)F'. In the bowl of the spoon, at the foot of the stem, is a punched mark depicting a flower with five petals, which is possibly the town mark of Barnstaple.
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
The seal-top design was named after its finial, which resembled a wax seal, though it was not intended for that purpose. While the flat tops of these finials were commonly pricked or engraved with the initials of their owners, the style remained popular throughout most of the seventeenth century. Although formerly attributed to a Leicester maker, scholarly research indicates it was more likely produced by a goldsmith in South West England. It entered the collection as a bequest from Arthur Hurst.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Silver, engraved
- Dimensions
- Length (From tip of finial to tip of bowl): 16 cm
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: possibly; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: Punched in the bowl of the spoon, at the foot of the stem, a flower with five petals, perhaps the town mark of Barnstaple.; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required 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: The back of the bowl engraved: Drakelowe; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required 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: Pricked on the top of the finial, the initials: 'E G' over 'S (?)F'; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required 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: Engraved on the back of the bowl of the spoon: 'Drakelowe'; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- Barnstaple
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
- seal-top spoon
- Museum object number
- M.71-1940
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.