This is one of the most unusual spoons which I have seen.
Front and Back views of this spoon.
There are no identification marks on this piece so we are left with speculation. The spoon appears to be basically silver
and is hand made. I am guessing that it is probably about 800 + silver. There is virtually no wear, however the front lip
was designed to be heavier which was a common quality found on old handmade spoons.
The engraving on the front and back of the bowl was obviously done by a professional. The clarity and spacing of the letters
indicates that it was well designed. I have never before seen such extensive lettered engraving on a spoon bowl.
The front and back of the bowl is engraved with the Lord's Prayer in Danish.
The exact choice of words has changed over the years, and somebody who is more in tune with these changes can help me date the spoon.
Please contact me if you have this knowledge.
The bird at the top front is a common Christian symbol.
The handle appears to be modeled on the old English Maidenhead spoon. Maidenhead spoons were made in England
from about 1575 - 1625. There are only a few surviving examples of maidenhead spoons from this era and the few
that have been auctioned show considerable wear and tear. The design of the maidenhead on this spoon and
the design of the front handle is slightly different than the English spoons, but that minor difference could be explained
by artistic or cultural differences. It could also be explained if this spoon were made in a later time period and merely
a copy of this older spoon style. I doubt that it was meant to deceive in any way, because a forger would have
use old style marks.
I suspect that this spoon was made for use in a church service (possibly baptism).
Silver designed for use in a church was often not marked because ideally it would never be sold.
In any case, I have tried to explain this spoon to the best of my ability. If you have a different interpretation please
send me an email.
closeup views of the engraving.
The four spoons below are images of spoons from the 1600's which I found on the web.
As you can see, most of the elements of design on my spoon can also be found on contemporaneous spoons.
more baptism spoons can be seen here
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