Britannia Standard Rattail Silver Mote Spoon, c.1720

This is an excellent, early silver mote spoon or skimmer made from the purer Britannia standard. It is rare to see the lion's head erased mark denoting this standard on a mote spoon and this spoon bears a clear example together with a great maker's mark too.

The especially long handle and the rattail extension to the reverse of the bowl date the spoon to the first third of the 18th century and the presence of a clear maker's mark closes it down to a three year period either side of 1720. The majority of early mote spoons have drilled, round holes, but the bowl of this example is more ornately pierced with scrolls indicating a higher quality piece. 

This spoon is stamped with the distinctive Britannia standard "Ed with pellet above and below" mark of Richard Edwards that was first registered in August 1716. Richard Edwards had been apprenticed to the specialist spoonmaker Benjamin Watts in 1707. He entered a second mark for the newly re-introduced sterling standard entered in 1723. This accurately dates the mote spoon for between 1716 and 1723.

Mote spoons were used for skimming dust motes from the surface of a cup of tea (a common problem for tea drinkers at a time when the product was carried in wooden chests) and the long tapering, pointed stem was used to unblock teapot spouts.

This is a first rate spoon in lovely original condition.