1795 Sterling Silver Large Reticulated Serving Spoon Marked Henry Chawner London
Description: Antique large sterling silver serving spoon. We are not certain what it is used for or what the pattern is, but the spoon has a floral design along the edge which is open and thus the spoon was probably used for serving foods that had juices. Be that as it may, the spoon, which way about 5.5 troy ounces, is beautiful. It has a boat shaped serving part. That part is flat with slight curvature. It has a foliate design in the top 3/4 of it near the edge, which is reticulated. It also has a handle of what appears to be solid sterling silver. Both the serving portion of the spoon and the handle are fully hallmarked. It would appear that the handle was made by someone else and not by the maker of the flat part, at least it would appear that the set of hallmarks on the handle are not the same as those on the flat portion of the spoon. The piece s beautiful and feels great in your hand. The hallmarks on the back of the flat portion have a lion passant (sterling silver), a crowned leopard head (London assay office), the letter u (1795), and the kings head (indicating taxes have been paid). Finally the piece is marked HC which stands for Henry Chawner a well known London silversmith at the time. The handle is also marked, which we are unable to make out, but to the best of our ability, they seem to be the same marks indicating the same year. The maker's mark on the handle suggest MP which would be the mark of Michael Plummer another well known London Silversmith of the time. Please carefully view the photos as they are part and parcel of our description.
Date: 1795.
Origin: Made in London, England
Size: Measures about 11 1/2" long, is 3" at its widest, and weighs about 5 1/2 troy ounces.
Maker: Henry Chawner and possibly Michael Plummer.
Marks: English sterling silver markings on both the handle and the flat part of the spoon. We were able to identify the marks on the flat part of the spoon as follows: a lion passant (sterling silver), a crowned leopard head (London assay office), date letter u (1795), and the kings head (indicating taxes have been paid). Finally the piece is marked HC which stands for Henry Chawner. We were unable to identify the marks on the handle because of wear, but they appear to have all the same marks as the flat portion of the spoon except for the maker's initials of which we can identify the letter P, this may be MP which would suggest Michael Plummer as the maker.
Distinguishing Characteristics - Most Interesting About The Piece: This is an old, very nice, and rare piece that is in excellent condition.
Condition: It is in very good condition, with no breaks, repairs, or significant dings. It does have some soiling and scratches. It could use a good cleaning but we are deferring to the new owner for that. Please see photo for additional condition information.
