Spoons - Pewter

It was only after the discovery of metals that prehistoric woman was able to place pans directly on the fire. Fireproof pans cooked roots, bulbs and cereal seeds much better. Cooked cereals had to be eaten with spoons and these, in fact, appeared during this period. People had previously used shells and hollow bones without handles, but with the development of wood and earthenware, antique spoons were given the shapes that we are familiar with today. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, preciously engraved and finely decorated pewter plates appeared on the tabletops of more well-to-do families. In 1650, glasses also became commonly used, while spoons rapidly became popular during the sixteenth century. Forks began to be used towards the mid seventeenth century but only became widely used with three or four prongs towards the end of the eighteenth century. The custom of giving each diner a knife was also introduced at that time.

We have a small collection of pewter spoons, some of which are faithful reproductions of antique spoons that were used in the sixteenth century. In some cases (the cocktail spoon, for example) we have slightly modified the original in order to adapt it to contemporary use.