James I Silver Lion Sejant Spoon, 1610 William Cawdell

This is a scarce example of an early 17th century silver lion sejant spoon with a great set of hallmarks.

Lion sejants rarely appear on the market and this example was made by the premier spoonmaker of the late Tudor and early Stuart periods - William Cawdell. The cast, sitting lion to the terminal has lost its facial features but the curling tail to the back is still visible, as is the shield that it holds to the front. 

The bowl has a few minor bruises and the leading edge is a little worn, but overall the condition for a 400 year old spoon is pretty good with a nice patina too. The reverse side of the bowl is engraved with the initials "NK" and also the date "1610" which will have been added at some later point, possibly by a collector once the James I period date had been discovered.

The spoon is marked in standard fashion with a leopard's head mark to the bowl and three clear marks to the lower hexagonal stem -  "W" enclosing a "C" makers mark, lion passant and date letter "n" for 1610.

William Cawdell was the most important spoonmaker of the late 16th and early 17th century. His output was prolific and the quality of his spoons were the best of the late Tudor period. His distinctive style of maker's mark was later copied by his apprentices (James Cluatt, Martin Cottrell and John Jermyn) that succeeded him.