POST MEDIEVAL SPOON

1725

A miniature spoon, made of silver. The bowl is circular (measuring 16.6 x 16.5 x 5.9mm); it is soldered to the stem, which is a thin silver rod; the knop is spherical, and is joined to the stem via a shallow conical cup that forms part of the knop. There are hallmarks on the back of the bowl: 1) the upper case letters HB; 2) an anchor; 3) a lion facing left; 4) a lower case ‘a’. The stem has been bent around, and the spoon is generally in poor condition, with slightly ragged edges around the bowl. The shape and size of the spoon suggest that it was used for measuring some a precious or important substance, such as a valuable spice or powdered medicine; the fact that it is made of uncorruptable metal shows that the substance to be measured might have been tinted by a lesser material, as well as the use of silver being a mark of status: this in turn points to the original owner being wealthy. The hallmarks proclaim an 18th or 19th century origin.