A James II silver Lace-back Trefid spoon

A James II silver Lace-back Trefid spoon,

by William Matthew, London 1685,

the reverse of the bowl with a raised rat-tail and foliate scroll decoration, the terminal with unusual scroll and fluted decoration, the reverse of the terminal with prick-dot initials over a feint initials, 'R.T' over P', and scratch initials 'A.H', the stem is struck three times 'JH', length 19.7cm, approx. weight 2oz.

This spoon has what appears to be a unique decoration on the front of the terminal. Clearly in it’s early life it has had four different owners, twice it has been pricked with owners initials and twice struck with owners initials, which were all there when the spoon was photographed in 1898.

Provenance:

The David Constable Collection.

Dreweatt's, Newbury, The Griffin Collection, part X, 3 June 2010, lot 68.

Rev'd Thomas Stanyforth, of Kirk Hammerton Hall, York, 1898.

Illustrated in Constable, D., Silver Spoons of Britain 1200-1710, Constables Publishing, 2016, volume two, page 664/5 entry number 130.

This spoon is photographed and illustrated in the book on the Stanyforth Collection by Messrs. Crichton Bros., 22 Old Bond Street, London W.