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1891.50.33

Wooden 'sherbet' spoon with a deep, keeled pointed oval bowl and an elaborately carved and perforated handle. [EC 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 31/3/2006]

On display

1891.50.33

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Collection type
Object
Description
Wooden 'sherbet' spoon with a deep, keeled pointed oval bowl and an elaborately carved and perforated handle. [EC 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 31/3/2006]
Person
Field collector John Spencer Noldwritt
PRM source George R. Harding
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1891
Date collected
By 1891
Acquisition information
Purchased: 05/1891
Materials and processes
Material Wood Plant, Process Carved, Process Openwork, Process Perforated
Dimensions
Length: max 327 mm, Width: max 56 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1891.50.33
Research and responses

The name of J.S ?Noldwritt has also been documented on other entries as J.S. Noldwrit or J.S. Holdwrist. [GI 3/3/2000]\

Related Documents File - Letter from Harding to Balfour dated 9 May 1891 enclosed with the collection. In it he says, 'If I issue a list of the ... Noldwritt Collection I will send you one but there is little to list now as I am constantly selling from it. The name of the collector was: J. S. Noldwritt [illegible initials] he was, I believe, in the shipping trade, and when he retired collected many of the specimens of during his pleasure travels & latterly used to lecture for the benefit of charities. I bought the collection from his Executors. ...' [See file for full text]. [MOB 25/9/2001]

A similar spoon to this one is described on the Victoria and Albert Museum website as a "Sherbet spoon", used for drinking sherbet or soup and rice. The website also notes that their spoons are likely to have been produced in Abadah, Iran. [http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O118314/sherbet-spoon-unknown/ Accessed 05/02/2015] This object is also similar to 1920.22.7 which is described as being from Iran. Therefore I have amended the location field for this object and removed Russian from the possible cultural group. [SM (Verve) 05/02/2015]

Search terms: Food and Drink, Spoon, Food Accessory

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