Cape Colony Silver Caddy Spoon, 1825 LT

This is a very rare antique silver caddy spoon made in the Cape of Good Hope in the early 19th century by Lawrence Twentyman.

Lawrence Holme Twentyman was born in Liverpool in 1783 and emigrated to the Cape in 1818. He established himself as a leading silversmith in the Cape and is the most well known maker from the colony. The pseudo English marks on this caddy spoon comprise the monarch's head ("duty" mark), bird, castle and "e", plus the "LT" maker's mark.

In addition to the interesting origins of this spoon, it is a nice quality piece in its own right. It has a good solid weight and is attractively engraved around the edge of the handle and bowl to both front and reverse sides. It bears an original script engraved ownership initial "B" to the front terminal. The clarity of marks and overall fine condition make this an exemplar of its type.

See pages 46/47 in "Caddy Spoons: An Illustrated Supplement" by John Norie for further information on this spoon.