Commonwealth Period Puritan Spoon, Exeter 1660
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Spoon - Puritan - Exeter circa 1660 - 17.8cm long; 44g - VB/3101
Silver Puritan spoons are rare beasts and this is a fine provincial example dating from the middle of the 17th century.
The spoon has the usual plank-like handle that widens towards the tip and the bowl has a transitional bowl that has similarities to the earlier fig-shaped bowls and later more ovoid bowls on trefid spoons. The spoon is punched with a single, very clear stamp to the inside of the bowl that depicts a crowned "X" within a dotted circle that was used in Exeter during the Commonwealth period (1645-1665) - see "West Country Silver Spoons & their Marks 1550-1750" mark A14 in Appendix A (Exeter town marks). This mark was used by Thomas Wood although there is no maker's mark on this spoon to confirm the attribution.
This Puritan spoon remains in excellent condition with a good unworn bowl and neither damage nor repair. The end of the reverse terminal is later engraved with dot-pricked initials "AW" over the date "1704" and the back of the shank is engraved "Breadalbane" for belonging to the collection of 1st Marquess Breadalbane (see below).
Provenance: The spoon was formerly part of the famous silver spoon collection of Gavin Campbell the 1st Marquess of Breadalbane that was sold at Christies in 1926. He signed all the spoons in his collection with his name - as seen on the reverse of the stem.