The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-07
SPOONS, BACK TO EARLY TIMES.
comprehensive Exhibition Mt the
metropolitan Museum of Art,
From the New York Posi-

vi All IN central Park is lie col
lection OF spoons made by Mrs. :. p.
avery 1t is small, the result OF accumu
Iatlon by ordinary methods in use nv sum-
,hef tourists or girls, and il is interest,"
ms many OF the spoons were purchased
az Inc universal exhibition of parls in
Iso'' IS'S' 1889, and of Vienna n 1898. Some
lame rom shops in London, Chester,
afls, Rouen, Brussels, Ams,ardlm The
Hague, Nuremberg. Praee and sI-niI,rlv
accessible and travel-touched towns. and
some from auction sales OF private ,o',ec-
tons.
IN a thin catalogue, published by the
museum, the collection is Introduced ly a
history of spoons from which one learns
that spoons were introduced when soups
=" other liquids required their use" Ger
fanny that sentence does not destroy all
Hshhng chance for a discussion on the
gate OF introduction. Later however the
INTRODUCTION strikes home with "They
tians"
Inc earliest or Oldest spoon in the cases
IS iate Roman, made of white metal. The
DOW is oblong, nearly of The shape at
present IN use; the handle very slender
ana long terminates in a point In order
that snails might be picked from their
Sheils and. in niellO, a design within the
poWl reads, "Aelliane vivas." Two inter
pretatonS fasten to the words either a
Christian eXhorl tion. "Mayest thou. o
Aehanus, have life (eternaD," or a Pagan
admoniuon. 80 Aelianus enjoy life" The
spoon IS small finely proportioned, and as
handsome as any in the cases
The medieval spoons in general. of the
collection have round moon-faced bowls
and short handles. Among the German
and Dutch spoons is one with a coin dat
ed l5fl stamped in the bowl. and a coin
dated 1888 on the handle. The handle ia
applied to the undcr-side of the bowl,
with an obviousness which gains for that
manner of spoon the designation rat
tail. Two other spoons in the German and
Dutch case, both of the sixteenth century.
nave names seen now only in pages of
DOCKS Old enough to be called literature.
4hey are the apostle spoon, and in re-
gard to them the catalogue says:
1t is fact that for ages the very first
gift which a boy or girl received consist
ed of one or @more spoons, these being
the established presents by sponsors al
chrstenings. The spoons given were called
apostle spoons because the handle of
each was carved into the figure of an
apostle, with his appropriate emblem. The
practice was in imitation of the heathen
who introduced figures of their gods upon
almost every utensil. The idea as adopted
in the middle ages was excellent: a child
~ 9COhCA ANciiiltti " lttN UlIlSHlI-tO use
his own spoon-than he began to acquire
a knowledge of scrptural and ecclesias-
teal biography. Every spoonful of food
ne received conveyed, or might convey,
useful lesson to his mind. This shows
the influence of religion on the arts in
medieval times-how ingeulously ecces-
iastlcal matters We're woven with almost
eVerythinS-how even a spoon was made
to infuse religious truths into the minds
of children while it conveyed pap to their
mouths.
In old writing illusions to apostle spoons
are common. In the pay of King Henry
VIII Shakspere makes the King say to
Cranmer that he must stand godfather to
the young Princess Elizabeth. The arch
bishop expresses his unfitness for so great
an honor, upon which Henry, bantering
him, says he is afraid of the expense of
the usual gift to a godchild: Come come,
my lord, you'd spare your spoons"
Mr.. Hone in his every Day Book
writes: est. PauTs day beng the first fes-
tival of an apostle in the year. it is an
opportunity for abiding to the Old ancient
English custom, with sponsors or visitors
az christenings,o of presenting spoons. called
apostle spoons because the figures of the
twelve apostles We're chased or carvedupon
the tops of the handles" Occasionally a
thirteenth was added, called The Master"
being the figure of the Savior: and this
made a fun set.
Persons who could afford it gave the
set. others a smaller number, and a poor
person offered the gift of one with the fig
ure of the saint after whom the child was
named, or to whom the child was dedi-
Gated, or was the patron saint of the good
natured donor.
During the seventeenth century in Eng
land, before the English spoons changed
from the round to the circular bowls. it
was customary to date them. In the first
case \are four pot-belled spoons thus dat
ed, 1916, 1911, 1852 and 1901.
Many were Hall-marked. and it is one of
these, dated ZIP, which is the earliest Eng
lish spoon in the collection with ,stlnct-
ly oblong or modern bowl. Those dated
later than 1712 have the characteristic
bowl Handles of these English spoons
show the most characteristic varieties.
sale top with the end enlarged so that
the fiat surface might be engraved for
service as seal: "cut top with the end
cut unpremeditatively off, as blunt and I'M
adorned as the small end of a spike cleft
top, with the end flattened under the ham
mer, and, consequently pounded broad.
and twice slit, into an undeveloped ire
foil; plain handle with the end simply
hammered.
Norwegian and Swedish spoons. all of
the eighteenth century, are similar to the
apostle spoon, stubby handles and corpu-
lent bowls almost like teaspoons or tea
cadlie spoons Examples of SCOOPS are
good in the collection though
most of them are English of the nine
teenth century varying from initiated
shovels with ivory handles to initiated
grapevines with the most diminutive
stems for handles.
Outside the recognized classes which il
ustrate the development of spoons are
many varieties which betray, rather the
of peoples. During the sew
enteenth and eighteenth centuries the
Dutch and German spoons bore most eab-
orate designs. In the little division given
over to such spoons among the exact 300
ga thered together in bare three cases of
he Museum are spoons bearing, modelled
1t the end of the handle. a ship in fun
sail fishing-boat, a man and a SPIN
ling-wheel, a spearman, man with gun,
carpenter, with tools, basket of bread, |
baker, Venus, a Charity, a woman
,hfd, and aHchor a deer, a bird and a
lozen other figures. Classified as wa !
fous Spoons are enamelled spoons tor
oise-shelI. ivory. coral, horn, mother-of- |
1earl. silver, Jade. copper and gilt spoons
One sort of spoon is a combined spoon aud !