Posted 13 years ago
tsargood
(2 items)
Hi all,
After my previous post I also found this spoon! It had a note tied to it that said "Robert Luke" which I guess matches the initials on the spoon. Any ideas or opinions appreciated.
Cheers
Tim
I've found another spoon !!! | ||
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Interesting. Robert Luke was a Scottish maker from Glasgow in the 18th century. The shape goes back to Roman times but in the 1700's these were called "Mote Spoons".
Your grandfather had an eye for real antiques!
It's a " rat-tail" too with nice piercing.
A bit weathered!
c 1730?
"Tea in the 17th century and most of the 18th century was supplied in a rather crude form with large leaves and a great deal of dust. The Mote spoon was used prior to the caddy spoon and the initial use was probably, to lift the tea leaves from the caddy and gently shake or tap the spoon allowing the dust or mote to drop prior to use in the pot. The sharp pointed end would have been used to dislodge blockages from the inside of the spout of the tea pot.
The Mote spoons ceased to be used or produced during the 1770's....about the time the first caddy spoons were being produced. Early caddy spoons often had filigree centers in their bowls to allow the dust to be removed, much the same as the mote spoon they were replacing. The Mote Spoon evolved in many ways over it's short life span. "
More on them here:
http://www.mortonsantiques.com/mote_spoons.htm