St Jude Silver Apostle Spoon, c.1649 by William Cary

Dating from around the time of Charles I's arrest and subsequent execution, this mid-17th century silver apostle spoon was made by the specialist spoonmaker William Cary.

The finial of the spoon depicts St Jude with his halberd cross and a plain nimbus or halo above his head. This is a relatively late apostle spoon and the hexagonal stem is showing the flattening out that was to continue with later puritan and trefid spoons. The fig-shaped bowl is in fine, unworn condition with a good, thick tip and clear bowl mark. The hallmarks to the reverse include a legible example of William Cary's "WC" maker's mark, plus a clear lion passant, however the date letter is worn and only just visible making the dating approximate to the late 1640's.

Overall for a three hundred and seventy plus year old spoon, the condition is good - a great bowl, excellent patina and no signs of repair. There is a slight bend to the stem and the apostle details are a little worn - -these are accounted for in the very competitive price.

William Cary had been apprenticed in 1630 to John Terry before being turned over to his uncle Daniel Cary and becoming free in 1638. He was part of a long line of spoonmakers that began with Nicholas Bartholomew in the early 16th century and went on to include the major spoonmakers of the 18th century through his apprentice John King.