Irish Hook-end Soup Ladle, 1760

This is a good, early Irish silver soup ladle with a stunning engraved crest to the front terminal.

In the traditional style of Irish servers from the mid-18th century, this large ladle has a hooked-over end to the handle. Curiously the reverse of the handle is struck with hallmarks that includes two maker's marks; the maker "IL" is likely to be John Laughlin and presumably the "RT" mark is for the Dublin retailer Richard Tudor. This soup ladle is in fine condition.