Not currently on display at the V&A

Spoon

1600-1700 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Spoon, cast pewter with fig shaped bowl, round stem and acorn knop. Pewterer's mark, possibly a heart, in a circle in the bowl.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cast pewter
Brief description
Poon,cast pewter, England, 1600-1700.
Physical description
Spoon, cast pewter with fig shaped bowl, round stem and acorn knop. Pewterer's mark, possibly a heart, in a circle in the bowl.
Dimensions
  • Length: 16cm
  • Maximum width: 4.7cm
Marks and inscriptions
A heart in a circle (?) (Makers's mark; In the bowl of the spoon. Unidentified.)
Object history
This spoon was found at an excavation in Tooley Street, London and lent to the museum in 1906.

Historical significance: Spoons played an important part in mealtimes before the introduction and widespread use of forks. The most expensive spoons were made of precious metals but substitutes in wood, pewter or latten existed.
Pewter is a soft metal so once spoons became worn or bent, they could be recast and remade by a pewterer or at a road-side forge.
Production
Reason For Production: Retail
Bibliographic reference
British cutlery: an illustrated guide of design, evolution and use, edited by Peter Brown. York Civil Trust and Peter Wilson Publishers, 2001.
Other number
LOAN:ATKINSON.3 - Previous loan number
Collection
Accession number
M.20-2002

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Record createdJanuary 27, 2003
Record URL
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