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Here is a delightful 17cm spoon with a gilded bowl, figural and foliate decoration and a patterned rat-tail. Around the outside of the bowl is engraved "Willem herks is Geboren den 3 October 1703".
There is also a worn hallmark.

Does anyone recognize the mark, and is this a christening spoon with a birth inscription?
Also, what is the main figure and what is he holding?

Miles


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Hi,

I think it's definatly Dutch, but need to investigate further on the maker. So far it seems like it's a birthspoon from a family that was involved in the tabacco trade with the west indies (america). The figure is obviously a native and the "rest" might be a cigar mold.

But it's a very unusual type, so I have some reserves.
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Thankyou very much Doos; I had no idea what that obect was. I suppose if that's a cigar mold, the those could be tobacco leaves in his other hand.
Is the main mark the maker's mark? There is also a worn mark above it in the photo, it looks like two crosses; do you know what it could be?

Miles
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Cigar Moulds

The worn mark above the maker's mark may be the Amsterdam city mark, usually 3 X's or crosses.

Regards, Tom
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I agree that it is a Frisian maker.
When I was going through my books I got a shock when I realized what it could be (but it wasn't). The only maker I could find for this type of spoon is Johannes van der Lely. He was one of the most famous Dutch silversmiths, but the mark disagrees with me.
Also the quality would be higher, but that could be due to wear and tear.
My books tell me that it is indeed a cigar mould and tabacco leafs.

You might want to forward the images to Sothebys Amsterdam, silver department.

Patrick, from which book did you get the maker's mark?
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The book is Victor Houart's "Miniature Silver Toys".
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Could you summarise all this for me?
Is the maker Johannes van der Lely or Pat's unidentified man, and is the date c.1703 or the third quarter of the 18th century as Pat's book suggests.



Miles
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Hi Miles,

I think it is a very nice spoon that dates from around 1700. The design is unique in the sense that in my catalogues only members of the v/d Lely family made it. But the makers mark is not a mark that I can place. Of course a replica could have been made, but looks good to me.
The marks shown by Patrick are almost identical to the one on your spoon, something with a crown (my first impression was a clover, but could aswell be a duck).
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A crowned acorn. Dirk Ates Jorritsma 1738 - 1754 in Franeker.
(Friese Voet 199) seems to me the most likely maker of this spoon.
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I have just returned from an auction house where I was told that is late 19th century! However, he wasn't sure and is going to ask an expert on early Dutch spoons. I'll report his response when it comes, and also the opinion of Sotheby's Amsterdam if they reply to my email.

Miles
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The expert said it was indeed made around 1700 and also that it was of poor quality which I think is a bit unfair seeing as he only had pictures to go by.

Miles
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Hi Miles,

The quality is indeed not as good as some that have survived from Johannes v/d Lely, but I think some of that has to do with wear and tear (done clean your silver too often).
It is still a spoon that you will hardly ever see and it will be very hard to find one similar to it.

I'm curious about what Sotheby's has to say about it.
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I'm very serious about the maker: Dirk Ates Jorritsma in Franeker. This is his hallmark!
You can find it on:
http://members.home.nl/jan.schipper/bio ... adirk.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It is also mentioned in a book: Merken van Friese Goud en Zilversmeden by E Voet jr.
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Hi Margaux,

You are absolutely correct, mistery solved.
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Thankyou Margaux,

Why does the christening date engraved on the spoon not tie in wth the maker's dates? Was it a custom in Holland for the owner to put his birth date on his spoons?

Miles
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Hello Miles

Many of these spoons were engraved on a later date in remembrance of such a event as a birth, marriage etc. These engraved dates are a very unreliable source for dating these spoons, also because it was used many times to give the impression that a spoon is much older then it really is, something like pseudo-marks.
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