Lot 640
640
A RARE COMMONWEALTH WEST COUNTRY CENTURY SILVER APOSTLE SPOON
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A RARE COMMONWEALTH WEST COUNTRY CENTURY SILVER APOSTLE SPOON

PERHAPS FROM THE WORKSHOP OF SAMUEL CAWLEY, EXETER, MID 17TH CENTURY

Details
A RARE COMMONWEALTH WEST COUNTRY CENTURY SILVER APOSTLE SPOON
PERHAPS FROM THE WORKSHOP OF SAMUEL CAWLEY, EXETER, MID 17TH CENTURY
The finial with cast figure of St. Phillip, the reverse of the bowl pricked with initials IM over MM and dated 1672 - 7¾in. (19.9cm.) long, 2oz.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

This spoon is part of the so called 'London Forgery Group' which Timonthy Kent discusses on page 5 of his book West Country Silver Spoons and Their Marks 1550-1750. He attributes the marks, which appears mostly, although not exclusively, on spoons of the 1650's, to Samuel Cawley, an Exeter Royalist goldsmith.

There were several examples from this group in the collection of H. D. Ellis, Esq. which was sold by Sotheby's in 1935 (see lot 473 in this sale for a copy of that catalogue). Lot 83 in that sale in particular seems to be closely related to the present example with the same series of marks, namely an 'animals head crowned' in the bowl, a stylised lion passant, a quatrefoil and a 'date letter' on the stem. The general shape and quality of these two spoons would also seem to be closely related.

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