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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 67, The Whiteley Galleries

Caddy Spoon

ca.1775-1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A caddy spoon is a type of spoon for use in taking and measuring dry tea from a tea caddy, usually small enough to fit inside the caddy. English examples were developed in the mid 18th century when the Chinese tea bottle was superseded by the tea caddy, having an opening large enough to accommodate a small spoon to dispense and measure the tea and when the cover (the thimble top) was no longer used as a measure. Caddy spoons were always required to be hallmarked, being excluded from the exemption of the English act of 1790 relating to small articles.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Shell with silver mounts
Brief description
Shell with silver mounts, Birmingham (no hallmarks), ca.1775-1800, mark of Matthew Linwood.
Physical description
Silver, the bowl a pointed shell, orange spots, cut open and mounted with a silver rim and a curved handle bordered with an incised double line.
Dimensions
  • Height: 3.5cm
  • Length: 6.5cm
  • Width: 2.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Back of handle: maker, ML for Mathew Linwood
  • Inscribed with the initial R
  • Engraved with the initial R.
  • No hallmarks
Credit line
Given by J. H. Fitzhenry
Object history
Acquisition RF: Fitzhenry
Gift - Fitzhenry
Subject depicted
Summary
A caddy spoon is a type of spoon for use in taking and measuring dry tea from a tea caddy, usually small enough to fit inside the caddy. English examples were developed in the mid 18th century when the Chinese tea bottle was superseded by the tea caddy, having an opening large enough to accommodate a small spoon to dispense and measure the tea and when the cover (the thimble top) was no longer used as a measure. Caddy spoons were always required to be hallmarked, being excluded from the exemption of the English act of 1790 relating to small articles.
Collection
Accession number
1267-1902

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Record createdMarch 3, 2004
Record URL
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