Ad blocker detected: Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.
It's 1766. Note the shape of the surround around the harp. You should also be aware that the illustrations in my date tables are representative rather than 100% accurate. Your post will also allow me to extend the dates for Christopher Skinner.
While some references list Christopher Skinner as working between 1739-1765, Douglas Bennett lists him as 1736-1780 in both his reference books. We know Bennett used all available Dublin street directories and if you check Wilson's Dublin Street Directory 1780, you'll see Christopher Skinner, Goldsmith, at 6 Goat-alley in 1780. Bennett has Skinner at Astons Quay from 1736-1755 and at 6 Goat Alley from 1756-1780. How productive he was in the latter years I have no idea but the 1780 Directory does confirm he was still a goldsmith but perhaps he was not actively making silver items.
A UK dealer had a hook end basting spoon with the date letter T for 1767 (photos available online). Also, another UK dealer sold a rare marrow scoop/spoon by Christopher Skinner dated to 1770 by examining the Hibernia and Harp marks in Kurt Ticher's Hall-Marks on Dublin Silver 1730-1772, a pamphlet issued by the National Museum of Ireland in 1968 (Bennett also covers these in Irish Georgian Silver published 1972). I have both references and, having examined the photo (available online) of the hall marks, concur with 1770. Beyond that date, I cannot find any hall-marked silver for Skinner.
Vast majority of berry spoons didn’t start life as berry spoons, but were often plain spoons that were decorated at a later date.
I opt for Victorian decoration.
Regards