Trefid Spoon, 1683

With a weight of over 2 troy ounces, this Charles II period silver trefid spoon has a satisfying feeling of high quality in the hand. It was made by one of the most important spoonmakers of the late 17th century - John King. The spoon has a plain rattail to the reverse of the bowl and original "G*L" initials to the reverse stem. There is a very tiny amount of misshaping to the bowl, which is reflected in the competitive price, but overall this is a very good spoon.

John King was part of a major dynasty of spoonmakers stretching across the 16th and 17th centuries with his master being William Cary (in turn apprenticed to Daniel Cary to Patrick Brue to Nicholas Bartholomew) and he himself employing Adam King, Lawrence Jones, Thomas Allen, Israel Pinckney and John Clifton among his apprentices, all of whom went on to become top spoonmakers in their own right.