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For internal use only
Not On Display
Spoon (Tea strainer)
William Batt & Sons
1906-1907
Description
This spoon-form tea strainer has a down-turned fiddle shape handle with a vestigial mid-rib on the underside, pointed shoulders, and an ovoid bowl with a conforming, domed, hinged lid. When the bowl's lid is closed with a clasp on the proper right side, it forms an egg-shape ball with drilled perforations placed to form the initials "KB" in script on both hemispheres. The holes are further ornamented by lines of wrigglework chasing. This mongrammed bowl was designed to hold loose tea leaves for steeping in boiled water. The tea strainer is marked by a firm working in Sheffield, England, but the addition of two very tiny rectangular marks enclosing the profile image of a weevil or flea, indicates this strainer was imported into France some time after 1893 either as a personal item or for retail purposes.
Category
Metals
Creator/Artist/Maker
William Batt & Sons (Maker)
Place of Origin
Sheffield; England; United Kingdom; Europe
Materials
- Silver
Museum Object Number
1970.1120
Credit Line/Donor
Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont
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Complete Details
Object Number
1970.1120
Object Name
Spoon (Tea strainer)
Category
Metals
Creator (Role)
William Batt & Sons (Maker)
Place of Origin
Sheffield; England; United Kingdom; Europe
Date
1906-1907
Mark/Signature/Inscription/Label
Type: Mark
Location: Handle, underside
Inscription: W B & S in rectangle, stamped
Type: Mark
Location: Handle, underside
Inscription: Crown in a square, stamped
Type: Mark
Location: Handle, underside
Inscription: Lion passant facing viewer's left, in rectangle, stamped
Type: Mark
Location: Handle, underside
Inscription: "O" in Gothic script within a square, stamped
Type: Mark
Location: Handle, underside
Inscription: Insect in profile within a rectangle, stamped twice
Type: Mark
Location: Bowl lid, near shaft
Inscription: Lion passant facing viewer's left, in rectangle, stamped
Mark/Signature: Yes
Materials
- Silver
Dimensions (inches)
1.575 (W) x 5.669 (L)
Dimensions (centimeters)
4 (W) x 14.4 (L)
Dimensions (oz)
1.5168
Measurement Notes
ED-XRF testing at Winterthur's laboratory discovered that all of the elements began life together with samples indicating a range between 93.51% - 94.3% silver and that the silver was electrolytically refined. [See conservation report October 16, 2016.]