I expect everyone uses a spoon and takes no real notice of it. It is surprising how different they can be, particularly when you study ones that are older than a hundred years.
You may think that there are only 3 parts to a spoon, the bowl, the stem and the handle. Yet there are two other parts that can vary, these are called the drop (bit that joins the bowl to the stem) and the knop (the bit on the end of the handle which was added in the 17th century to stop the spoon sliding into the soup).
Now I have bored the pants off you, what have we here, all solid silver from right to left:
1840 - Sugar Shifter Spoon (London)
1911 - Dessert Spoon (Sheffield)
1893 - Jam Spoon (Sheffield)
1818 - George III Mustard Spoon (London)
1912 - Preserve Spoon (Sheffield)
1858 - Spoon showing the patterned back (Birmingham)
Please bore me some more, I'm just a youngster when it comes to mustard, having always grown up with French's Mustard (processed). So, in 1818, mustard was a exotic spice from somewhere in the world(true?) , so was the spoon used for the mustard seed, a paste of mustard or cracked mustard seed?
Never thought 365 would be educational also: "'The earliest reference to mustard is in India from a story of Gautama Buddha in the fifth century BC."" [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_seed]
@byrdlip Thank you for the link and interesting read. This particular little muster spoon would have been in a silver pot with the prepared mustard. Perhaps I should do a mustard pot photograph. Thanks for your comments.
Stunning collection and fantastic educational lesson!! I'm thinking each one of my old bears would look great using these spoons - correctly of course :)
How interesting. From a time when cutlery and manners were important as well as a well set table. Sad we've lost all. Have to admit I'd like a larger dessert spoon. LOL
Never thought 365 would be educational also: "'The earliest reference to mustard is in India from a story of Gautama Buddha in the fifth century BC."" [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_seed]
if it is flat is that for spreading ? or is it just the picture view