Enkhuizen apostle spoon

[zeplinater]

Hi all
I believe I have a 17th century Enkhuizen spoon. Is anyone able to offer further information about it please?

[oel]

Not an apostle spoon, but a typical Enkhuizen decorative spoon.
The spoon's stem finial, ​mother with child on her right arm and two small children on either side, for the personification of Love​.
These are spoons with a two-part stem. The lower part has a cast relief decoration on the front, depicting Judith holding the head of Holofernes, beheaded with his own sword. On the bottom is another cherub's head. The upper part of the stem is twisted. The bowl is pear-shaped​ with a rattail connection, at the back between the stem and the bowl.

The maker's mark could be a calf in a rectangle.​ This mark is mentioned in the booklet Zilver van het Noorderkwartier Westfries museum Hoorn juli 1957, here mentioned with year letter A for 1637.


Town mark of Enhuizen, the town mark is based on the coat of arms of Enkhuizen: 3 herrings placed under each other in a crowned shield.


The year letter ​q, the absence of the provincial standard mark of Holland, the lion rampant, introduced after 1663, points to​ the year 1​651/52. Clear zigzag mark made by assayer to test silver content, should be 934/1000.
Unfortunately, this type of spoon is often forged, with the back of the relief decoration usually left smooth. Does the back of the stem have a relief decoration? I would therefore appreciate a few clear photos of the back of the spoon and the rattail connection. Also, please provide the length and weight of the spoon. My first impression is that the spoon is authentic, a pity about the crack, but as in a well-known song by Leonard Cohen, "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in"

https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopi ... 50#p217650

Peter.

Source; B.W. G Wttewaal entitled"Nederlands Klein Zilver 1650-1880"(1987). Zilver van het Noorderkwartier Westfries Museum Hoorn 1957. Goud-en zilver-merken van Voet, L.B. Gans, Premsela & Hamburger

[zeplinater]

Measurements approx 20cm long and 52g weight. Thanks for all your advice Peter. If the photos are not sufficient let me know and I'll post some more.

[oel]

The spoon seems fine to me, 2.6 grams/cm, not too heavy. There are Enkhuizen decorative spoons with a smooth back, which are rare. The spoon is well-made and certainly not coarse. Nice find.

Peter.

[Aguest]

::::: The zig-zag is so worn from being handles such that the angles of the zig-zag have been smoothed out, do I have that correct? ::::::::::

:::::::: At first I thought the zig-zag was somehow "cast" as a detail in the spoon because it starts out as a normal zig-zag but then just ends up with a series of dots that aren't connected by the lines anymore, but then I was just thinking about it more, and over time with enough handling and wear the zig-zag can be smoothed out like that, so this would be an example of a 400-year-old zig-zag that has been smoothed out over the centuries due to handling and wear. ::::::::::::::::::

[oel]

The zigzag line looks good in my opinion. It's probably due to the light when the photo was taken. The zigzag line in the photo below looks "better."


I think the bowl wasn't cast, but hammered and soldered to the bowl and stem with a small rattail. It remains the weakest point. I've seen several early (2nd half of the 17th century) decorative spoons with a short rattail and cracks around the bowl attachment, unfortunately.


Peter