Portuguese Silver Filigree Spoon
Portuguese, 20th century
- Material
- Sterling silver
- Use
- Serving
- Century
- 20th century CE
- Size
- Wumbo
- Provenance
- Owner's collection
Dimensions2 measurements
- Overall length
- 26.5 cm
- Overall width
- 5.2 cm
Catalogue Note
An elegant serving spoon of substantial weight and refined execution, featuring an expansive bowl of generous proportions and a handle wrought in exquisite openwork filigree. The terminal is modelled as a spreading foliate form, with delicate scrollwork and rococo flourishes throughout the shaft, creating an effect of lightness despite the piece's evident heft. The bowl shows pleasing wear consistent with service use; the filigree remains crisply detailed. A confident example of early twentieth-century domestic silver.
Spoon Lore
Filigree flatware enjoyed particular favour during the Edwardian and Art Nouveau periods, when manufacturers sought to balance ornament with the newly fashionable aesthetic of 'artistic' silverware—the pierced handle both reduced weight and displayed the metalworker's virtuosity, a key selling point for high-end domestic services.
From the collection of
Carlos Mendez