These spoons are near the very height of the spoon makers art. They are reproductions of very old spoons which were used to crown a new king. The quality of the workmanship is excellent. The first three pieces were made by a master craftsman known by the initials MH and were done in high quality silver (sterling and 830). Note: the MH mark has been identified as belonging to Marius Hammer (1847-1927) , Bergen, Norway and one of Norway's leading silversmithing firms.
These pieces are not machine made spoons, but they are made using extensive workmanship the same way that the original pieces were made, although there is no attempt to deceive one into believing that they are the original.
I believe that these pieces were made in the late 18th or early 19th century.
Because the spoons are highly three dimensional, my camera has considerable trouble capturing the intricate beauty, therefore I have taken detail pictures and you will have to assemble them in your own mind.
The Crown
This piece is gold plated on 830 silver (vermeil).
Finial
and stem (front)
Finial
and stem (back)
The quality of the engraving and chasing in the bowl is excellent. But the bowls are very deep, and the camera doesn't record the detail correctly.
Bowl
(front) urn with flowers, initials IBS
bowl
(back) patriarchal figure
front
view
length 5.125" (130mm), very heavy for size
The Staff
Top finial is a beautifully formed older man with a young boy on his left shoulder while the right hand holds a staff.
finial
and stem (front)
finial
and stem (back)
The quality of the chasing and engraving is excellent
medieval
view of Madonna and Child
bowl
(back) extensive coat of arms engraving
total
view
St. Olaf
This spoon is not gold plated as were the two above, but the quality of the workmanship is still excellent. The stem is marked "sterling" and the bowl is marked "830"
The finial shows St. Olaf holding a sword in his right arm and a fig leaf over his private parts with the left arm.
finial
& stem (front)
total view
bowl
front (madonna and child)
bowl
back (patriarchal figure)
The back has an inscription which I can't read, but contains the date 1571. If anyone cares to try to translate the old Norse wording, I will provide more details.
These two spoons are also replica's, but the quality of the workmanship while still better than most spoons is not as good as those shown above. They are marked 830 silver, but I have not yet been able to identify the maker mark (see below).
Note that the quality of the cast finial is simply not as nice as the above photos. I enlarged the bowl so that you could see the intricate engraving. In the bowl (placed on its side) is a representation of some type of animal (top). There is another unidentifiable snarling animal on the bottom (upside-down in the picture).
The stem on this pieces is rather nice and there is an interesting view of a patriarch holding a dagger. The bowl engraving is also pretty, but I prefer representational art. By looking at the bowl on it's side you can see that a dragon is shown, but camoflaged by all the swirls.
If anyone can help me identify the marks, I would be appreciative
The backs of both bowls are plain.
Return to Spoon World Index