Tea Caddy Spoon
1800-1900 (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 English examples were developed in the mid 18th century when the Chinese tea bottle was superseded by the tea caddy, having an opening large enough to accommodate a small spoon to dispense and measure the tea and when the cover (the thimble top) was no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 | Silver, bowl stamped single sheet, twisted wire handle, soldered, the inside gilt |
Brief description | Caddy spoon, silver with gilt bowl, Great Britain, maker's mark T, 19th century. |
Physical description | Silver, bowl stamped from single sheet with twisted wire handle soldered on. Shaped as a leaf, the inside gilt. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions | Inside bowl: diamond with T inside, leaf symbol, plus inverted y symbol. |
Credit line | Given by J. H. Fitzhenry |
Object history | Acquisition RF: Fitzhenry Gift - Fitzhenry Collection |
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 English examples were developed in the mid 18th century when the Chinese tea bottle was superseded by the tea caddy, having an opening large enough to accommodate a small spoon to dispense and measure the tea and when the cover (the thimble top) was no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 | 1284-1902 |
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Record created | March 3, 2004 |
Record URL |
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