Queen Mary I Apostle Spoon, 1556 by Bartholomew

This is a fabulous example of a mid-16th century silver spoon with an apostle finial. The apostle depicted is St John with his right hand raised in blessing and wearing a pierced nimbus in typical fashion for the period.

This spoon was made by one of the most important spoon makers of the period - Nicholas Bartholomew - who is identified by the excellent "crescent enclosing a mullet" makers mark. This particular mark was used as a workshop mark for a lengthy period during the 16th and early 17th centuries and passed from master to apprentice. The date letter has the distinctive cut out to the punch that differentiates it from the late Elizabethan letter "T" and the lion passant is within a diagnostic rectangular punch. There is also a good example of the leopards head crowned mark to the bowl.

A near identical example of this spoon is shown in How volume 2 plate 25. The example in the book is part of the Swaythling Set of apostles and was made by Bartholomew in 1553. The apostle is described by How as "St John, clean shaven with right hand held up in blessing, the emblem of the cup broken off and missing." This exact description can be applied to this example, so presumably the original casting was flawed for the cup to have come off both spoons. See photos.

This fine spoon has a good hefty weight in the hand and the thick gauge used in its manufacture has allowed the bowl to remain in good order with a thick rim; there are some minor bruises to the deep of the bowl. The spoon has been a treasured possession through the generations with an original dot pricked "W" to the reverse of the bowl and a later "C" and "IE" to the back and front of the stem respectively.

For a 450 year old spoon, this example is in generally excellent condition. The nimbus has a slight break at the back (see close up photo) and is bent down around the edges, but the apostle figure still shows good detail. All in all this is an excellent survivor, proof that it has been lovingly conserved through the centuries and an indictment of the original high quality of workmanship.

To place this spoon in a historical context, the reign of Queen Mary I lasted just five tumultuous years during which time she was known for her brutal persecution of Protestants and gave rise to her sobriquet – Bloody Mary. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragorn. She came to throne in 1553 following the death of her half-brother Edward VI and the nine day reign of Lady Jane Grey. She was succeeded in 1558 by her half-sister Elizabeth I. The most well-known victim of her religious zeal was the burning at the stake in Oxford of Thomas Cranmer –a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury – this occurred in 1556, the same year that this spoon was made!

Finding pre-Elizabethan spoons is extremely difficult and as can be seen from the results of the recent Benson sale, a hefty premium is attached to any spoon from this period. This spoon has the added bonus of good overall condition and clear hallmarks.