Images(4)

Caddy Spoon

Dateca. 1775-1785

Maker John David, Sr. (1736-1794)

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

MediumSilver

DimensionsOverall Length: 5 1/2”; Width of Bowl; 1 5/8"; Depth of Bowl; 9/16"

Credit LineBequest of Joseph H. and June S. Hennage

Object number2020-313

DescriptionSilver caddy spoon with a shell-shaped bowl and a down-curved rounded end handle with a thickened tip and bright-cut engraving along the edge of its top.
Label TextDuring the eighteenth century drinking tea was an important social custom in England and America. The practice of serving it required both distinctive manners and specific equipment. Because tea was a valued commodity, the leaves were stored in a locked tea caddy to prevent theft. Tea caddy spoons were often purchased separately to scoop the loose leaves from the caddy to the teapot. Although they are mostly thought of as silver objects, caddy spoons were also made of other materials such as ivory, mother-of-pearl, and tortoiseshell. These little spoons were mass produced in Britain during this time in various shapes including shells, leaves, and the eagle’s wing.

A product of Revolutionary-era Philadelphia, this caddy spoon by John David is a great rarity, and the only American-made caddy spoon in Colonial Williamsburg's collection

InscribedEngraved "D" in sprigged script on the top side of the handle tip.
MarkingsMarked "I D" in relief within a rectangle twice on the back of the handle.
ProvenancePurchased from S.J. Shrubsole (New York) on March 2, 1990.