Elizabethan Silver Lion Sejant Spoon, 1561

Antique lion sejant spoons tend to be rare and those that are found are often in poor condition, however this is a first class example made by a top maker during the early years of Elizabeth I's reign.

The cast finial to the terminal retains some of its original gilding and detailing - including the tail looped around its back. The hexagonal stem is later engraved "G.R 1640", which presumably denotes a later owner of the spoon. The bowl is of the distinctive fig-shaped design with steep step from the stem that one would expect from a mid-16th century spoon.

This 460+ year old spoon bears a good set of London hallmarks that include the date letter "d" for 1561 and the makers mark depicting a bird's claw (see Jackson's page 94 - Pickford edition). This mark has been attributed with some certainty by Piers Percival as the mark of Francis Jackson (a jackdaw's claw). Jackson was a specialist spoon maker of some quality working between 1556 and 1574 and who trained a number of high quality apprentices, including Robert Rase (1561), George Fabutt (1561), James Poole (1562) and Simon Heering (1566).

This excellent lion sejant spoon is in fine condition with nothing negative to report.