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Lot Essay
The dating of this spoon is based on the early date letters which are recorded by Commander and Mrs. How (op. cit., vol. III, p. 67) and which differ very slightly from those recorded by Jackson (ed. I. Pickford, Jackson's Silver and Gold Marks, Woodbridge, 1989, p. 48) as Jackson has seemingly illustrated the 'E' date letter which appears on this spoon upside down and described it as a 'D'. The dating of this spoon seems to have caused confusion for many years as it was described as 1488 when sold in 1926 and as 1481 later that year.
The number of known pre-1500 wrythen knop spoons, so described because of its spiral-twisted ball finial, is relatively small. The earliest example recorded by Commander and Mrs. How is one of circa 1463 (op. cit., vol. I, p. 182) with notes of two examples with full London marks, one for 1480 and the other 1488. Despite this small number of surviving examples they must originally have been made in larger numbers and were popular and esteemed enough to be recorded in contemporary wills and inventories, for example one of 1487 which records '.. ii dosen Spones with Wrethyn Knoppes' (quoted Constable, op. cit., p. 71).
The number of known pre-1500 wrythen knop spoons, so described because of its spiral-twisted ball finial, is relatively small. The earliest example recorded by Commander and Mrs. How is one of circa 1463 (op. cit., vol. I, p. 182) with notes of two examples with full London marks, one for 1480 and the other 1488. Despite this small number of surviving examples they must originally have been made in larger numbers and were popular and esteemed enough to be recorded in contemporary wills and inventories, for example one of 1487 which records '.. ii dosen Spones with Wrethyn Knoppes' (quoted Constable, op. cit., p. 71).