Henry VIII Silver Lion Sejant Spoon, 1525 William Simpson

Henry VIII spoons rarely come to market and we are very pleased to be able to offer an excellent example by the most important spoonmaker of the early 16th century, William Simpson.

This early 16th century spoon features a cast lion sejant to the finial and the original v-notch joint that is clearly visible is a welcome bonus and confirms authenticity. The lion is well-modelled and sits with the tail curling up his back. A sign of quality in the casting are the gaps between both front legs and between the body and front legs. The spoon has a fig-shaped bowl with a very steep and deep drop from the stem that is indicative of the earliest spoons.

Amazingly, this spoon reaches its 500th birthday next year! Given the age, the condition is simply superb. The bowl retains its original shape with thickness all the way around the rim and the cast lion retains the vast majority of its original detail with the mane and facial features still evident. There is a later engraved "DR" (probably mid-18th century) and an old collectors sticky label to the reverse of the bowl (easily removed if preferred). The patina remains very good, the bowl mark is a touch worn/mistruck and the stem hallmarks with the date letter for 1525 and "fringed S" mark for William Simpson are excellent.

The specialist spoonmaker William Simpson had been apprenticed to Robert Preston in 1499.

To put this spoon in to a historical context, Henry VIII acceded to the throne in 1509, the Field of Cloth was in 1520 and by 1525 he was still only thirty four years old. When this spoon was made, Henry was at the height of his power and it would be a further two years before he began to seek an anulment to his marriage with Catherine of Aragon (finally occurred in 1533) and the turbulent years of his later reign commenced. He died in 1547.