St. John Silver Apostle Spoon, Wells c.1638 by John Smith

This is an excellent documented example of a West Country silver apostle spoon.

This spoon was made in the city of Wells by a member of the important Smith family of spoonmakers that worked in a variety of towns throughout the region. The spoon has a fabulous 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-prick engraved 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 where it achieved a buyer's premium inclusive price of £4200 as lot 292.