posted 12-22-2015 12:19 PM            

I haven’t wanted to build up a parallel collection of items that differed from my spoons simply by having a scoop for a handle but I felt it was interesting to have a handful of examples, in particular from the early years of the form. Marrow spoons first seem to have appeared in the 1680s or 1690s.

These two marrow spoons both have teaspoon sized bowls. The top spoon is 6 inches long and by Lawrence Jones, London, c.1690 (pre-Britannia standard maker’s mark only). The lower spoon is 5¾ inches long and by George Titterton, London, c.1700 (Britannia standard maker’s mark only).

It is quite normal for smaller spoons of this period not to be fully marked. The small size probably means that both these spoons were meant to be portable, perhaps part of a travelling set. It probably doesn’t really show up in my photo but the Titterton spoon has a small collar round the stem just above the scoop. Almost like the shoulders on much later spoons except that it circles the stem rather than just projecting at the sides. It is a feature I have noticed on one or two other marrow spoons of the 1690/1700 vintage.

Next a size or two up:

The top example here is tablespoon size, just under 8 inches long, and fully marked for John Cory, London, 1700. The lower one is dessert size, just over 6½ inches long, and by Thomas Issod, London, c.1690 (pre-Britannia maker’s mark only). The engraved decoration is of a type found on both trefid spoons and marrow spoons at this period. Spoons with this decoration were often gilded and traces of gilding remain on the Issod spoon.

Finally, a couple of slightly later marrow spoons, both with teaspoon sized bowls so probably intended for travelling.

The top spoon by IO, London, c1750 (maker’s mark and lion passant). The IO might be John Orme 1. It does not match the mark he entered in 1734 but he may have had a later mark in the missing register. I can’t come up with another candidate.

The other spoon is unmarked, probably also c.1750. It bears the crest of the Marquess of Tweeddale. It looks continental rather than British but there were always at least some customers with a penchant for foreign and in particular French fashions. It is at least possible that it was made on commission by a London or Edinburgh maker, bit I can only guess.

posted 12-22-2015 06:16 PM            

One marrow scoop looks much like another if one doesn’t study the fine detail so I have restricted myself to collecting a couple of examples.

posted 12-23-2015 07:46 AM            

This one is 4 inches long and by Smith and Fearn, London, 1793. I had thought of it as a toy but I have seen similar pieces described as small marrow scoops from campaign sets. I haven’t actually seen a campaign set with one so I remain open minded about the original use. Might it even have been medical like the unmarked director and scoop below?

It is 5 inches long. I picked it up years ago and at the time assumed it was some sort of medical probe. I later gathered it was called a director and scoop. The long scoop was the director, used to guide a scalpel, and the shorter scoop served to scatter something like antiseptic powder. The website of an Indian medical supplies company still offered similar looking directors and scoops although it didn’t explain their use. However, when I shared this allegedly expert advice elsewhere it was pooh-pooh’d. The thing might be called a director but it must be for use as a probe, I was told.

posted 03-09-2016 01:47 PM            

I am returning to this topic simply because I have recently yielded to temptation and bought another small marrow scoop, unmarked but from circa 1730.

I was obviously wrong when I said I hadn’t seen “single” scoops earlier than my late 18th century miniature example. My new one was in the Albert collection and I will have seen it when the collection was on display some years ago now. There is baroque decoration to the stem end and the back of the stem is engraved with the Prince of Wales feathers and coronet, probably for Prince Frederick, son of George II and father of George III. The letters P W are on either side of the engraving. It is assumed that they stand for Prince of Wales but I doubt that they are original. I suspect they were added by a later owner. Be that as it may, it is a pretty little piece, just 4¼ inches long.

To make it easier to compare sizes the picture below shows my three small scoops together, with a British penny as a further aid to sensing the scale.

posted 03-10-2016 10:55 AM            

I have three marrow scoops, all London, from George 1, 2, & 3.

posted 03-10-2016 11:35 AM            

For a bit of variety some of the later examples may have shoulders or a bit of decoration, such as a thread edge to the central part or a fancy heel to the larger scoop. And then there are the relatively rare "reverse" scoops where the bowls of the two scoops face in different directions. I'd better stop here. You've nearly got me heading off in that collecting direction myself.

posted 03-11-2016 12:06 PM            

A Queen Anne example would be splendid! I'll definitely keep my eyes open for one...