Skip to main content

Spoon and fork: MAR.M.189-1912

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 17 (Flower)

Maker(s)

Silversmith: Unknown
Carver: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Shell and silver; bowl and handle carved from a cowrie shell mounted in silver and with silver tines

Shell and silver; the bowl and handle are carved from a cowrie shell (Cypraea tigris) the bowl from the curved back, the handle from the columella. Pinned to the bowl is an engraved acanthus leaf-shaped mount, on the back of which are four loops to hold the two tines of the silver fork. The silver stem of the fork is hinged with the folding mechanism held in place by a slide in the form of a grotesque mask. A broad silver ferrule attaches the stem to the handle. The ferrule is embossed with two borders of swags, fleurs de lis and rosettes.

Notes

History note: Not known before Charles Brinsley Marlay, London

Legal notes

C.B. Marlay Bequest

Measurements and weight

Length: 18 cm

Place(s) associated

  • probably ⪼ France

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1912) by Marlay, Charles Brinsley

Dating

17th Century, Mid-Late
Circa 1650 - Circa 1700

Components of the work

Bowl composed of cowrie shell
Handle composed of cowrie shell
Ferrule composed of silver
Fork composed of silver
Loops
Mount

Techniques used in production

Carving : The bowl and handle were carved. The mount was engraved and the loops were soldered on its back before it was pinned to the bowl The tines of the fork and the silver stem were forged and fitted with a hinge. The decoration on the ferrule was probably stamped. It was soldered down the back and to the stem before being glued to the handle.
Gluing

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: MAR.M.189-1912
Primary reference Number: 166888
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Saturday 14 March 2020 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Spoon and fork" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/166888 Accessed: 2024-03-28 20:07:57

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/166888 |title=Spoon and fork |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-28 20:07:57|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-166888

More objects and works of art you might like

Spoon and fork

Accession Number: MAR.M.104-1912

Knife, fork, spoon and case

Accession Number: M.58A-D-1930

Ivory spoon

Accession Number: E.62.1903

Knife and fork

Accession Number: M.1A & B-1992

Suggested products from Curating Cambridge

You might be interested in this...

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...