St John Apostle Spoon, Wells c.1638
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Spoon - Apostle St. John - Wells circa 1638 by John Smith - 187mm long; 54g weight - Ref. No.: JG/9518
An excellent documented example of a West Country apostle spoon. This spoon was made in the city of Wells by a member of an important family of spoonmakers that worked in a variety of towns throughout the region. The spoon has a good feel in the hand with its original gilt apostle to the terminal. The apostle depicted is St John and he bears a particularly attractive frilly nimbus with clear dot-pricked betrothal initials and 1638 date.
The spoon is in fabulous condition with a good patina and a thick edge to the unworn bowl. The hallmarks show a clear "IS" to the bowl and twice more to the stem, in addition to an incuse "hand" mark.
This spoon is illustrated in "West Country Silver Spoon & Their Makers" by Tim Kent as plate E5 (pages 154/5). It was also sold as part of the How Collection in 2007.
