{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O104257"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O104257/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2016JE9640/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2016JE9640/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2016JE9640","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2016JE9641","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2016JE9639","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KB4697","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O104257/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O104257","accessionNumber":"89-1903","objectType":"Spoon","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This is an example of a type of spoon described as a 'trefid' pattern, so-called after the way the end of the stem is split into three sections. The design is completely different to that of earlier spoons made in England, and is almost certainly inspired by contemporary examples from the Continent, particularly France. Goldsmiths' Company court minutes from the 1660s refer to 'French fashion spoons', which probably looked similar to this one. This new fashion meant the finial of the spoon was designed so that the spoon could be placed on the table with its open bowl down (the opposite of how it would be placed on the table today). This is why the initials of the original owners are engraved on what we would now think of as the back of the spoon. This is also an early example of plate made to the higher standard of silver that became compulsory for the trade between 1696 and 1720. In 1696 an act of Parliament raised the standard of wrought plate from 925 parts of pure silver (known as ‘sterling standard’) to 958 parts of pure silver per thousand. This was an attempt to stop people removing silver coins of sterling standard from circulation and converting them into cups, dishes and other items of plate. The higher standard for plate was reflected in new marks: the mark of the lion passant (the sterling standard mark) was replaced by the figure of Britannia, and in London the mark of the London assay office (a leopard’s head crowned) was replaced by a lion’s head erased. After 1720, goldsmiths and their patrons could choose either sterling or Britannia standards for their wares.","physicalDescription":"Spoon, Britannia silver, trefid end with a fluted rat-tail.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Scarlett, William","id":"A12653"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"AAT251917"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Britannia standard","id":"x30329"}],"techniques":[{"text":"hammering","id":"AAT54098"},{"text":"engraving (incising)","id":"AAT53829"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Silver, hammered and engraved","categories":[{"text":"Eating","id":"THES48963"},{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"},{"text":"Tableware & cutlery","id":"THES48888"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2016JE9640","2016JE9641","2016JE9639","2017KB4697"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"008","id":"THES408923"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Spoon","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1697-1698","earliest":"1697-05-29","latest":"1698-05-28"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by J. H. Fitzhenry","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Length","value":"19","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"03/03/2016","earliest":"2016-03-03","latest":"2016-03-03"},"part":"tip of bowl to tip of finial","note":""},{"dimension":"Weight","value":"34.4","unit":"g","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"03/03/2016","earliest":"2016-03-03","latest":"2016-03-03"},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"On back of stem of spoon, L to R:\r\nInitials 'S C', maker's mark of William Scarlett (see Grimwade 2484); figure of Britannia, for the new, higher Britannia standard of silver; lion's head erased, the new mark for the London assay office; date letter 'B' for the assay year of the new silver standard 1697-1698.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""},{"content":"The back of the finial engraved with the initials  *E B*","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Silver, Britannia standard, English (London), 1697-98, mark of William Scarlett","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Grimwade, Arthur G.. <u>London Goldsmiths 1697-1837. Their Marks and Lives</u>. 1st  edn. London: Faber and Faber, 1976."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<u>Bradbury's book of hallmarks: a guide to marks of origin on English, Scottish and Irish silver, gold and platinum and on foreign imported silver and gold plate 1544 to 1992, Old Sheffield plate makers' marks, 1743-1860, originally compiled by Frederick Bradbury</u>. New ed., rev. Sheffield: J.W. Northend Ltd., 1991. ISBN: 0901100285\r\n"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Snodin, Michael. <u>English Silver Spoons</u>. London: Charles Letts, 1974. ISBN  850971101\r\n"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"initials (abbreviations)","id":"AAT28709"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"London hallmark 1697-8\r\nMaker's mark: William Scarlet\r\nThe teeth marks on the bowl indicate this was a child's spoon\r\nJ.H. Fitzhenry Gift","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}}],"partNumbers":["89-1903"],"accessionNumberNum":"89","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1903,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LT9994"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-06-09","recordCreationDate":"2004-09-10","availableToBook":true}}