Dessert Spoon
1836-1837 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Small silver spoons were used to eat the last course at dinner known as dessert. The dessert might consist of fresh or candied fruit, ices and creams. These special dessert spoons were developed at the end of the 17th century as part of the diversification of the spoon form. Sets of silver dessert spoons and forks date from after 1700 when flatware became sub-divided by size into tablespoons and tableforks and smaller dessert spoons and forks. Dessert cutlery was not laid out as part of the place setting or cover when dining a la Russe in the 19th century. Dessert cutlery and dishes would be brought to the table for each diner by waiters before serving the dessert.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, die stamped |
| Brief description | Dessert spoon, silver, one of a set of twenty six pieces, including twelve table forks, six dessert forks and eight dessert spoons, Fiddle, thread and shell pattern, all made by Hayne and Co, 1836-37 except six table forks by William Eaton 1831-2 |
| Physical description | Spoon, silver, with fiddle, thread and shell pattern |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions | Marked on the back of the handle with a London hall mark, duty mark, sterling mark, date letter for 1836-7, maker's mark for Samuel Hayne and Dudley Cater , comprising four copperplate letters of 'SH' above 'DC'.
Crest of a boar's head. (Hall marks and maker's mark on back of handle. Boar's head on front of handle.) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Miss D.B. Simpson |
| Historical context | Small silver spoons were used to eat the last course at dinner known as dessert. The dessert might consist of fresh or candied fruit, ices and creams. These special dessert spoons were developed at the end of the 17th century as part of the diversification of the spoon form. Sets of silver dessert spoons and forks date from after 1700 when flatware became sub-divided by size into tablespoons and tableforks and smaller dessert spoons and forks. Dessert cutlery was not laid out as part of the place setting or cover when dining a la Russe in the 19th century. Dessert cutlery and dishes would be brought to the table for each diner by waiters before serving the dessert. |
| Summary | Small silver spoons were used to eat the last course at dinner known as dessert. The dessert might consist of fresh or candied fruit, ices and creams. These special dessert spoons were developed at the end of the 17th century as part of the diversification of the spoon form. Sets of silver dessert spoons and forks date from after 1700 when flatware became sub-divided by size into tablespoons and tableforks and smaller dessert spoons and forks. Dessert cutlery was not laid out as part of the place setting or cover when dining a la Russe in the 19th century. Dessert cutlery and dishes would be brought to the table for each diner by waiters before serving the dessert. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.183:25-1977 |
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| Record created | August 26, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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