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Spoon
Samuel Waters (about 1790–1805)
about 1823
Object Place: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Medium/Technique
Silver
Dimensions
3.8 x 17.7 cm (1 1/2 x 6 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the First Church in Malden, Congregational
Accession Number1991.500
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsSilver flatware
Samuel Waters is an obscure Boston silversmith who was active in the early nineteenth century. He was apprenticed to Benjamin Burt and inherited Burt’s tools in 1805. Among other objects known by him are a tankard (on loan to the MFA) and a creampot in the Chrysler Museum. In some Congregational churches, silver spoons were used to add a few drops of water to the communion wine, following an Anglican practice.
This text has been adapted from "Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000," edited by Jeannine Falino and Gerald W.R. Ward, published in 2008 by the MFA. Complete references can be found in that publication.
This text has been adapted from "Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000," edited by Jeannine Falino and Gerald W.R. Ward, published in 2008 by the MFA. Complete references can be found in that publication.
DescriptionThe fiddlehead-style spoon has a pointed egg-shaped bowl with squared shoulders and a downturned tip.
Marks
Partially stamped on back of stem"S W" within a serrated rectangle.
InscriptionsEngraved on top of handle "First Church / Malden 1823" in flowing, sprigged script.
ProvenanceIn the collection of the First Church, Congregational, in Malden, Massachusetts, until given to the Museum in 1991.