Spoons were used for soups and stews. This one is a rare example of a pewter spoon made before the 14th century. Spoons of any metal are relatively uncommon before this date. Spoons were generally made from cheap and plentiful materials like wood or horn in the Middle Ages. Pewter and silver were used by the relatively wealthy and gold by royalty and the nobility. Medieval English pewter is rare, and this piece is one of the earliest English pewter spoons to survive, its design being close to known silver examples. The distinctive leaf-shaped bowl and two part handles bear similarities to several 12th and 13th century silver spoons found at the site of Taunton Castle, Somerset and on the site of the Nunnery Church of Iona.
Physical description
Cast pewter spoon with a shallow leaf-shaped bowl. The long cylindrical stem is flattened at the bowl and engraved. Triangular knop.
Place of Origin
England, Great Britain (made)
Date
ca. 1200-1250 (made)
Artist/maker
unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Pewter, cast and engraved
Dimensions
Height: 21.1 cm, Width: 4.8 cm, Depth: 1.3 cm
Object history note
Purchase from Roger H M Warner RF: 2005/704
Historical significance: This spoon is one of the earliest surviving examples of domestic pewter. Wills and inventories show that from 1300 onwards pewter was commonly used in the kitchen, however very few of these documented objects survive.
This object is a rare example of a pewter spoon made before the 14th century. Spoons of metal were very uncommon before this date. Spoons were often made from other materials such as wood or horn in the Middle Ages. Medieval English Pewter is also rare. This piece is one of the earliest English pewter spoons to survive. The distinctive leaf-shaped bowl and two part handles bear similarities to several 12th and 13th century silver spoons found at the site of Taunton Castle, Somerset and on the site of the Nunnery Church of Iona.
Historical context note
Spoons in the medieval period were personal possessions, and when made of any metal, ranging from gold to brass, were valued and often passed on to friends and family in wills. They were commonly presented as christening gifts.
A knife and a spoon, and fingers were the principal implements used for eating in this period. Soups and pottages were served in bowls and eaten with a spoon. Whilst spoons of wood or horn were widely used in the Middle Ages, records show that spoons of all metals were favoured by wealthier sections of society, gold and silver being used by the nobility, and pewter by the merchant classes.
Descriptive line
Spoon, pewter, cast and engraved
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
English Romanesque Art 1066-1200 ed. G. Zarneki, London Hayward Gallery, 1984, cat nos. 297 and 298
Stylistic link between this spoon and some surviving silver spoons.
A. North and A. Spira, Pewter at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1999, cat. nos. 9,10 and 137a
Examples of early pewter spoons in the V&A collection.
R. Weinstein, et. al. Pewter, a Celebration of the Craft 1200-1700, Museum of London, 1989, cat.17d
Example of an early pewter spoon in the Museum of London
Materials
Pewter
Techniques
Cast; Engraved
Categories
Metalwork; Eating
Collection code
MET
