This is an amazing 4.5" spoon depicting Queen Victoria and her Royal
Court
The die work on this spoon is possibly the best that I have ever seen.
The amount of detail is
amazing. The detail work
is so small that I even had trouble photographing it. Whoever created
this spoon die was a true expert and a superb craftsman . See the below
spoon for its close rival.
According to the marks on the back, the spoon was created in Edinburgh
in 1902.
The silvermaker is "JF" but I could not find these initials for an
Edinburgh maker during this time period.
At the time, Queen Victoria was the longest reigning British monarch
having been crowned in 1837.
The bowl has engraved years 1837 and 1897.
The picture below is greatly enlarged. Actually it is round and
about the size of a U.S. Penny.
This is a picture of the finial. You can see a larger version of this
picture by
clicking here.
In the center is "H.M. Queen Victoria and Empress of India "
Rotation starting at the top and going clockwise:
1. Emperor Frederick of Germany. Frederick married Princess Victoria,
daughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. The couple were well
matched; their shared liberal ideology led them to seek greater
representation for commoners in the government. Frederick, in spite of
his conservative militaristic family background, had developed liberal
tendencies as a result of his ties with Britain and his studies at the
University of Bonn. As the Crown Prince, he often opposed the
conservative Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, particularly in speaking out
against Bismarck's policy to unite Germany through force, and in urging
for the power of the position of Chancellor to be curbed. Liberals in
both Germany and Britain hoped that as emperor, Frederick III would
move to liberalize the German Empire.
2. "Empress Frederick of Germany". Queen Victoria's daughter
3. "Alfred Duke of Edinburgh" . He was a member of the British
Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was created Duke of
Edinburgh, Earl of Kent and Earl of Ulster in the peerage of the United
Kingdom on 24 May 1866.
4. "Dutchess of Edinburgh". Wife of Alfred.
5. "Princess Beatrice". At the age of twenty-seven, she met
Prince Henry of Battenberg (1858–1896) and became determined to
marry him. Princess Beatrice was instantly charmed by the handsome and
athletic prince who was serving as an officer in the Prussian Household
Cavalry. But as determined as Beatrice was to marry, Queen Victoria was
equally determined to keep her youngest child by her side. The two
would eventually be allowed to marry, Queen Victoria finally
agreed, as long as nothing changed and Princess Beatrice continued
serving her.
6. "Prince Henry of Battenburgh". Colonel Prince Henry of Battenberg
(Henry Maurice; German: Heinrich Moritz; 5 October 1858 – 20
January 1896) was a descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, later
becoming a member of the British Royal Family, through his marriage to
Princess Beatrice.
7. "Prince Louis of Hesse". On 1 July 1862, Louis married Princess
Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria of Great Britain at Osborne
House on the Isle of Wight. On the day of the wedding, the Queen issued
Letters Patent granting her new son-in-law the style of Royal Highness.
This style was only in effect in Great Britain, not the German
confederation where Prince Ludwig was only a Grand Ducal Highness. The
Queen subsequently created him a Knight of the Garter.
8. "Princess Alice". Wife of Prince Louis of Hesse.
UNFORTUNATELY I WAS UNABLE
TO GET A DETAILED PICTURE OF THE BOWL BECAUSE OF THE BOWL CURVATURE.
See the top picture.
Center: "Their R.H. The Prince and Princess of Wales"
Starting at the top and rotating clockwise:
1. Duke of York
2. Duchess of York
3. Marquis of Lorne
4. Princess Louise
5. Duchess of Albany
6. Duke of Albany
7. Duchess of Connaught
8. Duke of Connaught
9.Prince Christian
10. Princess Helena
This is an incredibly detailed embossed spoon about Queen Victoria.
I mentioned that the above spoon was the best detailed spoon die which
I have seen. But this one is a very close second.
I would not be surprised to learn that they both used the same
die maker.
Some detail shots to show you this incredible quality
Remember - -all of this detail is in a tea spoon size bowl.
You can see the costumes and facial expressions of many of these figures
"In commemoration of the 60th year of the most glorious reign of H.I.M.
Victoria Empress & Queen -1837-1897-"
Center picture is the front handle
The other two pictures are from the back
left: "Heaven's Light our guide" -- notice the interesting spelling of
Australia (australasia)
right: rifle volunteers
This spoon was also made available in a fitted
case as a presentation gift
and few of the presentation
boxes have survived
Return to Spoon Exhibits index