Pair of King's Pattern Silver Runcible Spoons, 1880

This is a rare example of a pair of antique silver runcible spoons (aka pickle or chutney spoon or spork) in the highly sought after King's pattern. Single examples in King's pattern are scarce, so finding a pair is quite a coup.

These Victorian spoons were made the top specialist flatware makers, Chawner & Company (under the leadership of George Adams) and are in excellent original condition with crisp double-struck decoration (i.e. on both sides of the stem). The spoons have the further benefit of being engraved with a matching crest to the front terminals.

The runcible spoon appears in two works by Edward Lear: The Owl & The Pussy Cat ("They dined on mince and slices of quince, which they ate with a runcible spoon") and Twenty-Six Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures ("The Dolomphious Duck, who caught Spotted Frogs for her dinner with a Runcible Spoon").