A Charles II provincial silver Trefid spoon

A Charles II provincial silver Trefid spoon,

by Marmaduke Best, York, 1665,

the oval bowl with a rudimentary rat-tail, the reverse of the terminal with scratch initials 'T*S', length 18.8cm, approx. weight 1.4oz.

Provenance: Constable Collection, Nicholas Shaw Antiques,

This spoon is illustrated and written up in Constable, D., Silver Spoons of Britain, Constables Publishing 2016, Volume II, pages 782-783, spoon no.118.

This is an important York spoon as it is made to the new design outside of London, indicating the mobility of goldsmiths and journeyman and their wish to produce the latest fashions. The goldsmith had not quite shaken off the earlier style of spoon-making - he struck a mark in the bowl, unusually for a trefid. Also, you would expect to see a reeded rat-tail but this spoon has a rudimentary rat-tail.