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THE CORONATION ANOINTING SPOON, SILVER-GILT,
LATE I2TH OR EARLY I3TH CENTURY.

With the exception of the gold ampulla this Spoon is the only piece of the magnificent regalia of the Sovereigns of England which has survived the troubles of the seventeenth century. The ruthless destruction which was then begun by Charles I., who in 1643 converted into money the crown and sceptre, as well as other priceless treasure in gold and silver plate, was completed by the House of Commons on the 9th of August, 1649, when the following order was issued : " That the regalia be delivered to the trustees for the sale of the goods of the late king, who are to cause the same to be totally broken, and that they melt down all the gold and silver, and sell the jewels to the best advantage of the Commonwealth.' Neither the high historic importance of a large portion, including, as it did, " King Alfred's gold crown " and " Queen Edith's crown," nor the vigorous protest of the Lords that the workmanship of the ancient regalia far outweighed the intrinsic value of the metal and jewels, convinced the Commons of the sacred necessity for sparing for ever what must have been priceless examples of the jeweller's art.

The handle of the Spoon is divided into three sections, two of almost equal length, and the other slightly shorter, and it terminates in a plain flattened knop like a seal. The end section is a plain twisting, separated by a grotesque head from the central flattened division, the top of which is decorated with fine running scroll-work, formerly filled in with enamel, while the back is incised with a zig-zag band, dotted inside. This section is separated from the third division of the handle by a thick square ornament with rounded corners, chased with a circle on the front and back. The third and more ornate section is decorated in the centre with a circular chased ornament, with a beaded border ; two pearls are set on each side, and the embellishment of the front is completed by two circular ornaments, originally enamelled. Nothing more than some interlaced scroll-work decorates the back. The handle is joined to the bowl by a grotesque head of the same form but smaller than that on the other part of the handle, above the downward drop, known as the " keel and disc," and commonly found on early Christian spoons, several of which may be seen in the British Museum. The bowl, divided by a ridge in the middle into two parts for the oil into which the archbishop dips his fingers in the anointing ceremony, is engraved in front with foliated scroll-work, while the back is plain except for a slight leaf pattern.

The handle is undoubtedly in its original state, except for the loss of the enamel and the addition of new pearls, and dates from the latter part of the twelfth, or the beginning of the thirteenth century, when it may have been made for the coronation of Henry III, after the loss of the Crown jewels by King John in the Wash. But the bowl would seem to have undergone some subsequent alteration in shape, probably for the coronation of Charles II., at the instance of the Icing's goldsmith, Sir Robert Vyner, who appears, however, to have retained a mediaeval form of decoration in the foliated scroll-work engraved inside.

The twisted pattern on the end of the handle is of common occurrence in Norman architecture, while the scroll decoration, similar to that on the other part, frequently occurs in architectural features late in the twelfth century, for instance, in the capitals of pillars in St. Peter's, Northampton, and in the famous prior's door at Ely. It occurs also on a relic of historical interest–the mitre of St. Thomas of Canterbury, at Sens.

Foliated scroll-work in a more elaborate style decorates the border of the celebrated gold altar frontal of the eleventh century, given by the Emperor Henry II. to Basle Cathedral, now in the Cluny Museum, Paris ; and it may also be noticed, in a more restrained manner, on the thirteenth century reliquary-head of St. Eustace, from the same cathedral treasury, in the British Museum. Such scroll-work is observable on the valuable German casket, of wood covered with silver, dating from the twelfth century, in Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan's collection, as well as on the iron-work on the early thirteenth century English chest at Church Brampton, Northants, and on the more beautiful chest, of slightly later date, at Icklington, Suffolk. Numerous other instances might be quoted in proof of its prevalence in various forms of art in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries: it is, for example, found in the late thirteenth century Psalter, which belonged to John Grandison, bishop of Exeter, preserved in the British Museum.

A beautifully coloured illustration of the Spoon is included in Henry Shaw's book on the dresses and decorations of the Middle Ages, wherein the handle is shown with blue enamel, and the circles on each side of the pearls with green enamel. The authority for the colours of the enamel is not given, and as all the enamel can hardly have disappeared since so recent a date as 1843, when this work was published, it may, therefore, be assumed that the colours are conjectural.

The Spoon has been re-gilt several times since the coronation of Charles II., first for James II. in 1685, when one new pearl was set in it, the whole cost being twenty shillings. Four new pearls, costing three pounds, were set in it for the coronation of William and Mary. It was re-gilt for George IV. by Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.

The Royal collection of Plate at Windsor Castle contains two silver- gilt spoons, of the same length, copied from this ancient coronation spoon, in 1820-21, for which year they bear the London date-letter, and were doubtless made for George IV. The ends of each are set with a single turquoise, the eyes of the grotesque animals' heads being rubies; one of them is enriched with a cabochon emerald, a cabochon ruby and six pearls, and the other with a cabochon ruby, a turquoise, four pearls and a small cabochon ruby.

The total length of the spoon is 10 1/2 ins.