Elizabeth I Silver Seal Top Spoon, 1563

This excellent silver seal top spoon was made by Nicholas Bartholomew in 1563 when the 30-year old Queen Elizabeth I was just five years into her forty-five year reign.

The spoon has the typical cushion-shaped, cast finial that was prevalent during the mid-16th century with a visible v-notch join to the hexagonal stem. The fig-shaped bowl is in good condition with no loss of shape and is clearly marked with the leopard's head of London. The remaining hallmarks are located on the reverse of the stem and include a very clear date letter for 1563, the lion passant and maker's mark.

The most important silver spoonmaker of the mid-16th century, Nicholas Bartholomew, had formerly been apprenticed to Thomas Trappes and was working in London between 1545 and 1588. This Elizabethan spoon bear his "crescent enclosing a mullet" maker's mark that continued to be used after Bartholomew's retirement by his apprentice Patrick Brue.

A fine Tudor-period spoon in excellent condition.