The snub nosed bowl with rattail attachment below
a short unmarked shaft with strong upper ridge,
the terminal verso
scratch-engraved 'S + W';
Unmarked, as were most small spoons of this period
Condition : Good; the bowl with minor bends and
stubborn areas of tarnish spotting; shown oversize above
Note : Early mustard spoons as this are
very rare.
'Early Georgian 'wet mustard' pots are all but excinct. But they are known to exist.
The Colman Mustard firm had, until it was asset stripped,
a comprehensive collection of silver mustard pots in which was a single example of 1724;
but it is highly unlikely that a collector of today will come across such an early example.
It is likely, due to the fashion of the 'dry mustard' and caster,
that many of these early 'wet mustard' pots were sent to the smelter.
Michael Snodin in English Silver Spoons notes :
"A 'little mustard spoon' is mentioned in a newspaper of 1678".
Snodin also records :
"A 'mustard cup with lid and spoon' is listed in an inventory of 1721".
And on p.51, Snodin describes the early mustard spoon form :
"…earlier condiment spoons maybe have been a kind of miniature spoons.
The (pear shaped) bowl of this spoon is very similar to that of the earliest egg spoons,
but the stem is generally shorter in proportion of the length of the bowl".
This snub-nosed shape is also similar to a tea caddy spoon.
However spoons for the measurement of tea were not introduced until the 1770's.
This spoon was inspected and cataloged by British silver marks specialist Ian Pickford,
author of Silver Flatware : English, Irish and Scottish 1660-1980.
2 .5” Long / .15 oz
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#6453
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