Scottish Provincial Silver Marrow Scoop, Aberdeen c.1795

This is a rare example of a Scottish provincial silver marrow scoop made by the Aberdeen silversmith James Erskine.

This antique marrow scoop takes the usual double-ended form with a wide scoop and narrow scoop joined by a central shank. The three provincial marks are struck to the underside and include the "E" mark for the maker, three towers for Aberdeen and a spurious mark often used by Erskine. This rare marrow scoop has a nice chunky feel to it and is in excellent condition.

Silver marrow scoops were used to tease out the tasty morsels of marrowfat from beef bones - a great delicacy during Georgian times.