Rarely seen c1760 T.Wallis fancyback Georgian sterling silver pierced motespoon
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Rarely seen c1760 T.Wallis fancyback Georgian sterling silver pierced motespoon:
$134.99
We are listing this most unusual and very striking rarely seen decoratively pierced circa 1760 fancy back Georgian sterling silver mote spoon by the London silversmith Thomas Wallis I. Mote spoons are one of the smaller, more decorative, and more rarely seen pieces of specialized silver used by the Georgian gentry - in this case, to remove the tea leaves from the teapot after brewing (when tea was an extremely rare and valuable commodity), and to clean out any debris in the spout with the spiked end. It is rather difficult to find a mote spoon with an identifiable maker\'s mark, due to their extremely thin handles (and even more uncommon to find one which also has such a nice fancy back design and fancy piercing). Spoons with raised fancy back and picture back designs were mostly made in the 1750s through the 1770s, and this one falls in the middle of that brief period. The spoon is pierced in a very nice decorative pattern, has a superb very striking raised stylized design on the back of its bowl (which is wider than usual for a mote spoon), and it is marked on the back of its handle with a lion passant and a T.W maker\'s mark. This mark was registered in 1758 by London silversmith Thomas Wallis I (see page 210 of Grimwade\'s London Goldsmiths 1697-1837). The spoon is over 5.25 inches long, weighs .3 ounces, it is very decoratively pierced and has a very unusual fancy back design (which is even more striking with the spoon\'s wider than normal bowl), and it is in very good condition (slight roughness/crimping on the back edges of the bowl). Please view the closeup pictures and judge for yourself (the spoon has not been professionally polished). A most unusual very rarely seen Georgian fancy back mote spoon.
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Rarely seen c1760 T.Wallis fancyback Georgian sterling silver pierced motespoon:
$134.99