Very rarely seen fancy c1760 Georgian crested sterling silver pierced mote spoon
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Very rarely seen fancy c1760 Georgian crested sterling silver pierced mote spoon:
$129.99
We are listing this very rarely seen very decoratively pierced mid 1700s crested fancy back Georgian sterling silver mote spoon by an unknown silversmith. 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. Due to their extremely thin handles, it is rather difficult to find a mote spoon with an identifiable maker\'s mark, and this one is no exception, but it is even more uncommon to find one with a fancy back design and a crest (there was not much space on a mote spoon for a crest). Spoons with raised fancy back and picture back designs were mostly made in the 1750s through the 1770s, and I feel sure this one falls in that brief period. The spoon is pierced in a very fancy decorative pattern, has a nice raised scalloped shell design on the back of its bowl, it is incised with a crest of the head of an animal/mythological beast on the back of its bowl (I do not know the meaning or family association of this crest), and it is marked on the back of its handle with a lion passant and a very compressed maker\'s mark that I cannot decipher. The spoon is over 5.5 inches long, weighs .3 ounces, it is very decoratively pierced, has a nice fancy back design and incised crest, and it is in very good overall condition. There is some roughness/waviness on the handle toward the spike. Please view the closeup pictures and judge for yourself (the spoon has not been professionally polished). A wonderful very rarely seen Georgian crested fancy back mote spoon.
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Very rarely seen fancy c1760 Georgian crested sterling silver pierced mote spoon:
$129.99