Tablespoon

Status

Not on view

Label Text

On May 15, 1750, Martha Dandridge married Daniel Parke Custis, marking her ascension into the highest echelon of Virginia society. As befitting her new station, she and her husband outfitted their home with the finest wares from England. This silver tablespoon, engraved with the early and distinctive Custis crest of a wingless bird of prey with feathered ears (often thought to be an eagle) was once part of an elegant dining service. Following the untimely death of her first husband in 1757 and her second marriage to George Washington, the spoon and Mrs. Washington made their way to Mount Vernon.

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Datec. 1739-1755

Maker JS

Geography Made - England

Medium/TechniqueSilver

DimensionsOverall: 8 3/16 in. x 1 5/8 in. (20.8 cm x 4.13 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mary Lee Bowman and Robert E. Lee IV, 1981

Object numberW-2537

DescriptionSilver tablespoon with oval bowl and rounded and upturned handle with a raised crest and central rib on the face; swage formed drop on back of bowl; Custis family crest, the head of a wingless bird of prey above a wreath, engraved near the end of the handle.
Published ReferencesJames C. Rees, Treasures from Mount Vernon: George Washington Revealed (Mount Vernon, VA: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1999), 43.

MarkingsFour hallmarks on the reverse of the handle: London Sterling standard mark depicting a lion passant within a fitted shield; Two unintelligible marks; Unidentified maker's mark in a circular field with the letters "J" and "S" in script.

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