Teaspoon
- Object Name:
- Teaspoon
- Object ID:
- 1942.001.33
- Place of Origin:
- Moscow or St. Petersburg, Russia
- Date:
- 1891
- Description:
- Teaspoon, part of a set with a tea-glass holder (1942-1.33 - .34). Silver. Of the "Apostle" type having handle of hexagonal cross section flaring from pear-oval shaped bowl to finial at end, which is in the form of a man in peasant clothing with hand to mouth, perhaps drinking, rather than an apostle. Two sets of decorative grooves encircling handle, one just below finial and the other 1 1/4 inches from bowl. Heel-like projection on reverse of handle just above juncture with bowl. Reverse of bowl has engraved design simulating basketwork. Impressed marks on side of handle, including: "L.O / 1891" in Cyrillic characters within a rectangle with cut corners (assayer's mark); "84" within a serrated rectangle (common Russian silver content mark, referring to 84 Zelten, equivalent to 875/1000); left facing horse and rider mark within a rectangle with cut corners (this mark may represent either St. George and the dragon, a hallmark of Moscow 1891-1896, or Peter the Great, a symbol of St. Petersburg); "GL" in Cyrillic characters within a plain rectangle (maker's mark); and a small dark oval.
- Material:
- Metal
Silver - Dimensions:
- W-1.2 L-6.375 inches
- Provenance:
- Russian tea glass holder and tea spoon, from the silver collection of Margaret H. Jewell (1866-1970). Maker's marks indicate that the set was made in Russia, and is dated 1891. Item is listed in Margaret Jewell's silver journal with the notation, "bought in Paris 1892 / price (without duties) $30."
Identification: Bonnie Marshall, Russian and Baltic specialist, identified the character finial on the spoon as a depiction of a Baltic peasant, particularly identified by the style of hat, though the spoon was clearly made in Russia. She thought the mark may be that of St. Petersburg, which is very close to the Baltics and to Finland.She thought the basket-weave pattern may be of Finnish or Baltic influence. Bonnie also identified the Cyrillic characters of the maker's mark as GL -- NJC, 05/2007. - Credit Line:
- Gift of Margaret H. Jewell
- People:
- Jewell, Margaret H. (1866-1970)
Electronic Resources are only available to New Hampshire Historical Society members. To access electronic resources, please join the New Hampshire Historical Society.