Images(2)

Dessert Spoon

Dateca. 1740-1760

Marked by Rufus Greene (1707 - 1777)

OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Boston

MediumSilver

DimensionsOverall Length: 6”, Width of Bowl: 1 1/4", Depth of Bowl: 3/8"

Credit LineGift of Kay Justice Ridinger in memory and honor of Charles W. Ridinger III

Object number2021-77

DescriptionSilver dessert spoon with an upturned Hanoverian pattern handle, a long midrib, and an oval bowl with a drop followed by long rattail.
Label TextAt first glance, this dessert spoon appears to have been made by Rufus Green, a Boston silversmith who worked during the second quarter of the 18th century. Careful examination has shown that the bowl has been soldered onto the handle. This should not be the case for such a spoon, always wrought from a single piece of silver.

While the mark on the back of the handle is Greene's, the bowl is a recent replacement for the damaged original, as evidenced by tell-take marks of machine polishing in the area. Furthermore, an inscription was filed and ground off the back of the noticeably-thinned handle end, further adding to the "worked over" nature of this spoon.
MarkingsMarked “RG” in relief, within a rectangle with an ogee top and bottom, on the back of the handle (Kane mark B).