Rare figural teaspoon with faces of a couple + dogs, unmarked, 17th/18th cent.?

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varadino
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 3:44 pm

Rare figural teaspoon with faces of a couple + dogs, unmarked, 17th/18th cent.?

Post by varadino »

Hey all :-)

I have purchased one very mysterious silver item from an antiques dealer in Copenhagen. It was the only piece among the spoons for sale which bore no marks and the overall atmosphere of the entire item was just so odd and beautiful that I had to pay the minuscule price to have it in my collection.

The spoon is allegedly tested to be solid silver but everything else is unknown. Its length measures 9 cm in total. The design follows baroque ornamentation and the surface shows quite significant wear, hence my assumption of a 17th/18th century origin, though the pointed bowl shape feels a bit out of context to me for dating it too early. Figural spoons in Denmark in the late 19th century were very popular kitchen utensils but none I have seen had such unique features as this one.

What I have found particularly impressive is the portrayal of a male and a female figure on the two sides, below which closer to the bowl what seems to be a pair of faces of dogs (?) making the picture complete of which I would assume that the spoon was a gift or memorial object and the missing hallmarks might be due to further (lost) pieces accompanying the spoon making up a set back in the days.

I am really excited to find information regarding the origin and time period of this arcane piece. Every bit of information will be met with warm appreciation. Pictures below.

Happy holidays,
N. V.

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