Spoon
ca. 1410-1440 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Spoons are among the earliest domestic objects. As distinct from dishes or knives which were often shared, spoons were treasured individual possessions.This silver spoon is entirely covered with enamel in distinctive stripes of colour, inset with the repeated letters M and O in silver. Both may indicate the original identity of the owner, now unknown. The quality and material of this spoon suggest that it must have been the property of a person of rank and not intended for daily use.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver; gold; enamel |
| Brief description | Enamelled silver spoon, decorated with foliage, stars and moon and letters 'O' and 'M' |
| Physical description | A spoon, of silver gilt and translucent enamel with highlights in gilt. The bowl decorated with a floriated pattern on a central band of white, to one side blue, the other green. The back decorated with a pattern of moon and stars and the initials 'M' and 'O' on a similarly coloured background. The handle bifaceted and in green enamel, decorated with stars and dots, and terminating in a fruit. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'M' and 'O' (The letters 'M' and 'O' may be the initials of the owner, though neither the letters nor the colours of the enamel could be associated with a particular family.) |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Charles the Bold Exhibition RF.2006/635 Historical significance: Spoons are among the earliest domestic objects. As opposed to dishes or knives which were shared, spoons were treasured individual possessions. The quality and material of this spoon suggest that it must have been the property of a person of rank and not intended for daily use. A nearly identical spoon, executed in translucent green and purple enamel, is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, Rogers Fund, 48.153. The decoration of these two spoons is closely related to the so-called 'Regensburger Schatzkästchen' and comparable objects. Renate Eikelmann therefore suggested in 1992 that the three objects probably originated from the same workshop. Eikelmann favours a date around 1410/1420 and considers the entire group to be of Franco-Flemish origin. |
| Historical context | The technique of enamel en ronde bosse, e.g. enamelling in the round or in high relief, is probably of French origin and was developed in the mid 1300s. This method of enamelling was only affordable to the highest ranks of society. There were several centres of production in the 15th century, including the Netherlands, the Rhineland and Venice. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Spoons are among the earliest domestic objects. As distinct from dishes or knives which were often shared, spoons were treasured individual possessions.This silver spoon is entirely covered with enamel in distinctive stripes of colour, inset with the repeated letters M and O in silver. Both may indicate the original identity of the owner, now unknown. The quality and material of this spoon suggest that it must have been the property of a person of rank and not intended for daily use. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1392-1888 |
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| Record created | October 31, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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