Mary Sweet Silver Laceback Trefid Spoon, c.1700

As a recent widow, Mary Sweet took over the running of her family's silversmithing business in Crewkerne in 1683 and helped the business thrive over the next twenty years or so. She was a member of the extensive Sweet family that dominated silver production in parts of Somerset during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

This superb silver trefid spoon is typical of the quality emanting from the workshops with the decorative laceback designs to the reverse of the bowl and especially exhuberant front terminal being diagnostic of the Sweet family dies. Charmingly, the spoon features original dot-prick engraved betrothal initials "IA" over "RH" to the reverse terminal and the date "1701" is an accurate pointer towards the date of production.

The spoon is in superb condition with a fine patina and particularly crisp raised decoration to both the bowl and terminal. The reverse stem is clearly struck thrice with the "MS" in a shield with pellets mark for Mary Sweet.