|
Commonwealth Silver Child's Puritan Spoon - Steven Venables
|
|
 |
Reference: S1450
Period: Commonwealth
Year: Circa 1650
Silversmith: Steven Venables
Place: London
Price: $ 1 800.00
Weight: 18 grams
Dimensions: 13.3 cm
Condition: Good, old repair to stem, scratches, bowl well preserved, good thickness all round.
Description: An extremely rare child's puritan spoon, dating back to the Commonwealth period, when Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector of England. The spoon has a flat stem with straight sides, and a curved spade shaped bowl. The spoon also has a small V shaped drop. The puritan spoon replaced the slip-top spoon (with hexagonal stem and fig shaped bowl) during the early Commonwealth period, and gained it's name from Cromwell's Puritan soldiers opposed to King Charles I, who considered the more elaborate Apostle spoons "irreverant" (Gask, Old Silver Spoons of England, pg 92). Given that so much silver was melted down during and after the English civil war, Puritan spoons are rare, and the smaller children's puritan spoons are extremely rare. A very similar spoon to this, described as "Rare Charles I child's puritan spoon, 1646, exhibited in Cardiff Museum" was sold as lot 35 of the famous "Alexander James Collection of Early English Silver Spoons", Phillips 1979, with an estimate of GBP 500-600.
Steven Venables worked in London between 1640 and 1675, he was a specialist spoonmaker. He is one of the "First Fifteen" London spoonmakers selected by Tim Kent in his book "London Silver Spoonmakers, 1500-1697".
The hallmarks on the back of the stem are clear, and include makers mark "SV" in shaped punch with crennellated top (Steven Venables first mark) and lion passant, both well struck and clear. The leopards head struck in the bowl is worn but still discernable.
The spoon is in good condition given it's age. The stem has an old repair halfway up the stem, with solder marks visible, this does not interfere with hallmarks. The bowl is good, not thin and worn as is often the case, but has a few scratches and a very small dent. The stem also has scratches.
|
|
|
|
|
Commonwealth Silver Child's Puritan Spoon - Steven Venables
|
|
|
|
|
Back of spoon
|
|
|
|
|
Spoon bowl
|
|
|
|
|
Hallmarks - Steven Venables
|
|
|
|
|
Scale
|
|
|
|
|
Close up of repair 1
|
|
|
|
|
Close up of repair 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
