Naturalistic Antique Silver Mote Spoon, c.1745

This is a rare example of a highly sought-after mid-18th century silver mote spoon in the naturalistic taste.

The spoon has an attractively pierced, leaf-shaped bowl with a leafy tendril handle that terminates in a spike for the unclogging of teapot spouts and has a caterpillar to the underside. This is a top quality piece that was made by Isaac Duke circa 1745 - the spoon is marked with a maker's mark only which is common for mote spoons of the period. This George II period spoon is in excellent condition with neither damage nor repair.

The pierced bowl of mote spoons or skimmers was used for removing dust particles (motes) from a cup of tea in the days when tea was stored in chests and vulnerable to contamination from dust.