17th century Dutch Cowrie Shell Trefid Spoon?

[legrandmogol]

I'm not sure if this is definitely Dutch but I bought it from a Zeeland Auction house and it has later Holland crowned O tax marks. The mark looks to me to be an MR with the two letters combined but I might be reading the mark wrong or looking at it the wrong way. I know this is a long shot but I figured I would try. I attached lots of pictures of the marks just in case.

[oel]

Hi, believe it to be a (later) marriage between a spoon handle and a cowrie shell bowl. I never have seen this type of spoon with a cowrie shell bowl.
Why do we see two (pseudo) duty marks of 1807? The maker's mark not clear perhaps deformed MH conjoined, noted as pseudo mark, seen on spoons ( Valse Zilvermerken in Nederland K.A. Citroen # 232).
If this spoon handle is Dutch I believe it to be pseudo/fantasy marks.


Peter.

[legrandmogol]

that would explain why I was the only one bidding, lol. Thanks Peter. In the meanwhile, I'll just enjoy it as a neat piece.

[AG2012]

Hi,
Very unusual in regard of the fact that the bowl is soldered to the handle and the shell is intact.
Silver frame was constructed and shaped to accommodate the shell and soldered to the handle. Only then the shell was set within the frame. Otherwise, high soldering temperature of over 750 degrees C would have destroyed the shell.
Regards

[legrandmogol]

Here are some better pics of the spoon just because. To answer the question about how they put the rim around the shell, I think they left flaps of silver 'open', dropped the shell in, and then bent the flaps over the shell and thensoldered it. you can see the solder lines every 3/4 of inch around it.

[oel]

Hi,

I have been advised to look at the maker’s mark of German East Friesland or Ostfriesland (Ostfriesische Landschaft ) as mentioned by Horst H. Adrians in is book; Riechdosen und kleinsilber aus Ostfriesland. The maker’s mark MR conjoined, in various shield shapes has been mentioned for; Martinus Reyken (Rieken), born in 10-02-1765 in Freepsum, as son of silversmith Reyke Martinus Reyken, who died after/around 1818 in Emden, and registered as gold-silversmith 10-08-1790.



NB. The town mark of Emden with year letter is not present. See:
https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopi ... en#p108222
We also find a HR conjoined for Hajo Rykena, baptised in 1753 in the city of Norden but not a match:

The fact; the crowned O struck twice. Why? Perhaps the first a miss truck and done a second time?
I am not sure if Martinus Reyken is the maker of this Cowrie Shell Trefid Spoon? I leave it for our German experts to judge.

Peter.

Source: Riechdosen und Kleinsilber aus Ostfriesland Horst H. Arians.

[oel]

Perhaps the crowned O, the duty mark of 1807 was struck over the Emden town mark?

In the book of Horst H. Arians it shows a sugar spoon with (St. Jacob's) shell bowl.

Zuckerlöffel mit Muschel (model) Ostfrieden muster (maker's mark of Carl Ludwig Vierfuss (1795-1890), city of Leer

Peter.

Source; Riechdosen und Kleinsilber aus Ostfriesland Horst H. Arians

[oel]

Looking at the image we see clear differences, one O is much thicker than the other and one crown is solid, while the other has a line through it. Left we see the duty mark of 1807, crowned O deformed/miss struck and at the right not crowned O but town mark of Emden combined year letter O, I believe used in the early 19th century around 1806. Emden town mark with E toothed.
https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/wiki/Emden

Crowned O and B for articles with old hallmarks of the Guilds.

In March 1807, by order of the King of Holland, a new hallmark law on the working, importing and sale of gold and silver objects, including the levy of duty on the same was implemented. Silver smiths, retailers and shop holders could, for a few weeks, bring in their old hallmarked and previous made silver & gold objects and have those objects stamped with the crowned O, the capital letter O, the first letter for the Dutch word 'Onbelast'= duty-free; no tax duty had to be paid.
After this period, a tax duty had to be paid and the crowned B was applied, the capital letter B, the first letter for the Dutch word 'Belasting' = Tax. After the 18th of April 1807, officially no work with old hallmarks was allowed to be sold without the crowned O, unless tax was paid and the object stamped with the crowned B. NB. Many variations of the crowned O were used in this short period and the crowned O often has been faked for duty dodging and other reasons.

Cheers,


Peter.