17th century Enkhuizen spoon?

[legrandmogol]

I just picked up this old spoon on a whim, didn't have great pictures in the listing. I believe it is 1662/3 or 1665/6 Enkhuizen but I don't know of any resources for this town that was once prolific maker of spoons.

[oel]

A very beautiful old silver ornamental spoon. This type of spoon is typical for Enkhuizen and was made from about 1640 to the end of the 17th century. The stem is crowned with a female figure with three children for the personification of Love. Like the divine love of a mother for her children. The lower part of the flat stem has a cast relief decoration with (on the front) an image of Judith with the head of Holofernus in her hand. At the back is an image of a David with the staff and stone sling. The engraved name Geertien, variant of Geertruida, Germanic girls name, meaning "strong with spear", Ians (maiden/last name), D for perhaps Daughter.
The spoon has a pear/fig shaped bowl with a rattail connection at the back between the stem and the bowl. At front of bowl, dolphin mark
The Dutch dolphin mark; the 1859 duty mark for new unguaranteed objects of national origin. This mark was used on all new silver objects below legal standard of fineness, those with non-precious metal additions, and on new heavily gold or silver plated objects, as long as the average precious metal content after melting with the base metal was at least 250/1000. It was also struck on rejected objects which had been submitted at lowest standard of fineness. In that case the maker had to choose between destruction or unguaranteed marking. This mark was sometimes also mistakenly used on old and foreign objects. Dolphin mark used from 1859-1893 and valid from 1859 till 1953.
Town mark of Enhuizen, the town mark is based on the coat of arms of Enkhuizen: 3 herrings placed under each other in a crowned shield. The year letter C, the absence of the provincial standard mark of Holland, the lion rampant, introduced after 1663, points to 1638/39 or 1661/62.
The maker's mark, a bird (lapwing) facing left, is unfortunately not mentioned in the literature. Little is known about the Noorderkwartier and West Friesland area when it comes to silver (hall)marks of the guild period.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Friesland_(region)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noorderkwartier

Peter.

[legrandmogol]

Thanks, Peter, hopefully, one day the silver of the region will get more attention, and the silversmiths of the region are finally identified.

[oel]

In the book by B.W. G Wttewaal entitled"Nederlands Klein Zilver 1650-1880"(1987) at page 262, afb. 11, it shows a not very clear black and white photo of a spoon from Enkhuizen with a partially wavy stem, year letter N for 1675/76, with the provincial standard mark of Holland, the lion rampant. Maker's mark, a bird, facing left and in the same shield shape. ( studying the image with with magnifying glass).
Perhaps the reason for the unclear Enkhuizen town mark, at back of your spoon bowl, it is partly struck over tip of rattail.

Peter.

[legrandmogol]

I'll have to pick up a copy of that book.\