Wavy-end spoon with Greenwich Hospital medallion

Date1775-1800

MediumPewter

DimensionsOL: 8 9/16"; W (bowl): 1 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1984-142

DescriptionWavy end, Greenwich Hospital medallion spoon: Wavy-end or dog-nose type; broad flat handle face with end of conventional wavy-end or dog-nose form with pronounced shoulders and rounded cresting ant end and narrow shank of basically D-shaped section; long elliptical bowl with sides of lower part tapering to a somewhat pointed end; short raised single drop on underside of bowl below juncture with handle.
Owner's emblem on an anchor with a crown-like device and crossed flags above with" to left and "H" to right within a circle stamped (double-struck) on face of handle for the Greenwich Hospital.
Label TextGreenwich Hospital spoons are from a later date than is generally realized. All known examples appear to be cast from the same mold and to date from the late eighteenth century. This is clear from their bowl form (an elongated oval tending toward a pointed egg shape), the short, rounded drop on the undersides of their bowls, and their considerable length.
InscribedOwner's medallion of an anchor with crown and crossed flags above with "G" to the left and "H" to the right within a circle stamped on upper face of handle for Greenwich Hospital. Shadow of a former collector's number 220 painted on underside of handle.
MarkingsNone.
ProvenanceVendor: Robin Bellamy Antiques, Witney, Oxfordshire.