WELSH WOOD LOVE SPOON ~ Hand Carved ~ Love Token, Wedding Gift ~ HEARTS ENTWINED

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WELSH WOOD LOVE SPOON ~ Hand Carved ~ Love Token, Wedding Gift ~ HEARTS ENTWINED:
$34.99

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For your consideration is a beautiful hand carved wooden Welsh Love Spoon. This spoon was carved by an artist out of one piece of wood. It is signed on the back. These spoons make a unique and wonderful gift for a wedding, special occasion,or to surprise that special lady in your life!

Spoon measures:9 1/2\" L x 3\" W

Each spoon will come with a photocopy of \"The story of the Welsh Love Spoon\" pamphlet in the photographs.

This pamphlet was published by: The Love Spoon Gallery

with 3 separate addresses in Wales

This extensive collection was acquired with the following paperwork so I believe most of these spoons were purchased from this gallery at some point.

I have several spoons for sale in my store. If you purchase more than one I am happy to combine shipping.

The last photograph is a framed print that will not be photocopied but I included as one more reference for the tradition and explanation.

The tradition of the spoon as explained in the photographed pamphlet:

The carving of wooden spoons for domestic use is known to go back to medieval times and it is probable that love-spoons developed from this, the first spoons given as love tokens being actually used by the recipients for eating. However, once the utilitarian function of the spoon was discarded, there was no limit to the variations which could be introduced.

The earliest known specimen (dated 1667) is of a fairly advanced type, having a slotted handle and loose wooden spheres within, so it seems safe to assume that the custom existed long prior to this.

The elaboration of the spoon took many forms, but it was almost always the handle which was decorated, the bowl retaining its functional shape. The handle of the spoon was enlarged to form a panel giving greater scope for decoration, common forms of which were piercing the panel, relief carving, fretwork or a combination of all three. Other developments included wooden chains, swivels, rings, the purpose being to make from one piece of wood an object which, at first, seemed to be made from several separate pieces. Most existing examples of love-spoons have provision for hanging, indicating that they were decorative rather than functional.

The designs used wee usually hearts, circles, flowers, wheels, asteroids, segments , locks and keys, figures, houses, anchors and ships. The last two would seem to indicate that love-spoons were also carved by sailors, perhaps to pass the time on long sea voyages. Significance has been attached to certain designs - the number of links in a chain signifying the number of children the suitor would like: the keyhole that he wished to provide a house; the wheel that he would work for her; the heart indicating his love for her; and the spoon itself indicating his desire to provide for her. It is my belief, however, that since the suitor made the gift himself, he sought to emphasize the feeling and care that had gone into its making by elaborating the whole, often with great care and patience, rather than relying on individual symbols conveying his feelings.

The giving of a love-spoon by a suitor and it s acceptance or refusal by the lady of his choice developed into a ritual of betrothal or rejection amongst the country people of Wales. The custom died out in the nineteenth century but love-spoons continued to be made, mainly for Eisteddfod competition or the like.

The popularity of love-spoons has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, partly due to the increased number of visitors to Wales, particularly from overseas, who wish to have something uniquely Welsh to remind them of their visit, and also to the growing popularity amongst Welsh people of giving love-spoons as gifts to commemorate special occasions, i.e. retirement, birth, departure, and of course betrothal. Nowadays, when most people have neither time nor perhaps desire to carve their own love-spoons, the accepted practice is to buy a ready made example or employ the services of a craftsman to carve on the their individual requirements.

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