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| Scottish Antique Silver Private Die Tablespoon - Bartholomew Family Crest
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Reference: S11301
Period: William IV
Year: 1838
Silversmith: Robert Gray & Sons
Place: Glasgow
Price: $ 290.00
Weight: 102 grams
Dimensions: 22.3 cm
Condition: Excellent, some light scratching to bowl from use.
Description: A private die Scottish silver tablespoon, a rare spoon of fabulous quality, made by leading Glaswegian silversmiths Robert Gray & Sons. The spoon has a die stamped family crest of a stag above a knights helmet, this is beautifully struck. The spoon is a variant of Kings pattern, with hourglass shape and honeysuckle, but the shell on the front has been removed to make place for the family crest. The spoon is double struck, which is unusual for Scottish silver, and the spoon has no shoulders. The spoon is over 100 grammes, so a pleasure to hold and use. The hallmarks are clear, and are accompanied by a star, possibly a journeyman's mark. Private die flatware was individually commissioned with the family crest die-stamped rather than engraved on a stock pattern (Pickford, Silver Flatware, page 173). Most 19th century private die patterns were supplied through Hunt & Roskell to members of the peerage and other wealthy clients. Pickford describes these as "fascinating, but obviously impossible to build into services". Scottish examples are rare, we imagine a private commission by a wealthy Scottish family. Robert Gray and Sons of Glasgow produced "some of the finest British silver of the period" (Walter Brown, Finial, June 2006). Note - Thanks to an excellent article entitled "Private Die-Struck Heraldic Flatware 1780-1900" by Luke Delmas & Luke Schrager, published in the Finial Vol 34, July & September 2023, we can now identify the crest as the Bartholomew family, described as "demi-goat saliant gorged with a wreath of laurel". They depict 2 other spoons with the same crest, both made by Robert Gray & Sons of Glasgow, but in 1833 and 1837. They show 9 other examples of private die flatware made for Scottish families, all produced by Robert Gray. Note 2 - This article also appears in the Silver Society Journal, No.38, 2022, pages 82-97.
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Scottish Antique Silver Private Die Tablespoon
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Private Die Scottish Silver spoon - stag, knight
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Scottish silver double struck tablespoon
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Kings pattern scottish silver spoon
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Robert Gray & Sons Glasgow 1838 silver hallmarks
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Scottish Antique Silver Private Die Tablespoon - scale
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