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Cape Silver Salt Spoon - John Townsend
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Reference: S11129
Period: George IV
Year: 1824-1841
Silversmith: John Townsend
Place: Cape
Price: $ 130.00
Weight: 15 grams
Dimensions: 10.7 cm
Condition: Excellent, but some scratches to original gilding in bowl.
Description: A Cape silver salt spoon in the Fiddle pattern, with original gilding to the spoon bowl. The gilding is a lemony colour, and quite well preserved, some scratches from use. The hallmarks are very clear, Welz mark 121, 3 pseudo English marks (duty, date letter a and lions head town mark) are individually struck. The makers mark JT looks like it has been double struck, this is still clear. John Townsend (1800-1875) was an interesting character, descibed by Heller as one of the top 5 Cape silversmiths. He arrived in the Cape in 1821 on the ship Duke of Marlboro, and was involved in a number of businesses, including a hotel and auctioneering business, in addition to being goldsmith, silversmith, jeweller and watchmaker. He was embroiled in a number of court cases, mostly due to bad debt, in 1849 he stated "insufficient means to support his 10 children". He moved to Okiep in Namaqualand in 1852 as Manager of Spektakel Copper Mine, but was insolvent by 1868. He died in 1875, and is buried in the Springbok cemetery. He fathered 24 children by 3 wives, the last at age 74. We thank his descendant Guy Barker for this information.
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Cape Silver Salt Spoon - John Townsend
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John Townsend Cape silver pseudo hallmarks
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Cape Silver Salt Spoon - John Townsend
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cape silver spoon, scale
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