Teaspoon
1831-1855 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Though today, ‘cutlery’ refers to knives, forks and spoons in general, historically, it was only the knife-blade (of steel) that was made by a ‘cutler’. Knife handles, spoons and forks, together with servers and other implements of the table made by silversmiths, are known as ‘flatware’. Flatware production was often a family business. Decoration of flatware was produced mainly by the die-stamping method, where silver ‘blanks’ are pressed between two steel dies or moulds previously carved with the imprint of the design. The dies were expensive to produce and intended for mass-production.
This spoon is marked on the handle, 'NW', for Nelson Walker, 'MONTREAL' and imitations of the English duty and sterling marks. From the late 18th century, Canadian silversmiths frequently imitated English hallmarks. The sterling and duty marks have been only partly struck to accommodate imperfections in the copy.
This spoon is marked on the handle, 'NW', for Nelson Walker, 'MONTREAL' and imitations of the English duty and sterling marks. From the late 18th century, Canadian silversmiths frequently imitated English hallmarks. The sterling and duty marks have been only partly struck to accommodate imperfections in the copy.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Silver |
Brief description | Silver, Canadian |
Physical description | Fiddle pattern |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions |
|
Object history | Gift from L.A.Crichton, Old Bond Street registry says c. 1820, label says 1831-1855 |
Summary | Though today, ‘cutlery’ refers to knives, forks and spoons in general, historically, it was only the knife-blade (of steel) that was made by a ‘cutler’. Knife handles, spoons and forks, together with servers and other implements of the table made by silversmiths, are known as ‘flatware’. Flatware production was often a family business. Decoration of flatware was produced mainly by the die-stamping method, where silver ‘blanks’ are pressed between two steel dies or moulds previously carved with the imprint of the design. The dies were expensive to produce and intended for mass-production. This spoon is marked on the handle, 'NW', for Nelson Walker, 'MONTREAL' and imitations of the English duty and sterling marks. From the late 18th century, Canadian silversmiths frequently imitated English hallmarks. The sterling and duty marks have been only partly struck to accommodate imperfections in the copy. |
Collection | |
Accession number | M.830-1928 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | March 3, 2004 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest