Hester Bateman Openwork Silver Salt Spoon, c.1775
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Salt Spoon - Openwork, Decorated Handle - London circa 1775 by Hester Bateman - 11.2cm long; 11g - GE/1788
Never before have we seen such a beautiful silver salt spoon, plus it has the bonus of bearing the maker's mark of Hester Bateman.
With its openwork decorated handle and scallop shell bowl, this exquisite Georgian silver salt spoon is quite stunning. Making this form of handle would have been highly skilled and fraught with difficulty as cast handles tend to be brittle and prone to breaking - hence why they do not survive in any number.
This style was made during the 1770's and most often seen on silver sugar tongs of that period; examples of salt spoons are extremely rare and to find one in such superb condition with neither damage nor repair is quite amazing!
The reverse side is stamped appropriately for the 1770's with a lion passant and the iconic "HB" in cursive script maker's mark for the lady silversmith Hester Bateman.
