Squirrel on Stump Marrow Scoop, 1768

An extremely rare      piece of flatware. 

This      picture back marrow spoon depicts a red squirrel sitting on an oak tree      stump whilst nibbling an acorn. The scene is enveloped by branch tendrils      with oak leaves and more acorns. The scene is emblematic of British pride      during the mid-18th Century and almost certainly relates to the recently      written song "Heart of Oak". The squirrel in      the picture represents Britain and the surrounding oak branches      representing the protection afforded to it by the Royal Navy.

The      oak referred to in the title of the song refers to the wood from which      British warships were traditionally made. The song became the official      march of the Royal Navy. The music for this song was composed by Dr      William Boyce and the words were written by David Garrick. The words in      the song reference the "wonderful year", this being 1759-60      during which British forces were victorious in several battles: The battle      of Lagos, battle of Quebec City, Battle of Quiberon Bay, Battle of      Wandiwash and the success in foiling a French invasion. See Wikipedia.org for      more information and the song lyrics in full.

Marrow      spoons are scarce at the best of times (far less common than a standard      scoop), picture back marrow spoons or scoops are rare, "a squirrel on      stump" picture back on any spoon is very rare. This is the first time      we have encountered this very rare emblem on a marrow spoon.

The picture is in pretty good condition with some very      minor loss of detail from table contact and polishing. All the picture is      present and can be easily observed. The hallmarks are also in good      condition, although the date letter is a little rubbed (still legible).      The front bears an engraved initial in Gothic script.