Victorian Sterling Silver Coffee Spoons by Mappin & Webb

• Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
• Onslow Pattern - The Onslow pattern is a design commonly found in silver and silver plated flatware. It is a highly decorative pattern that features a shell motif on the handle, which is often accompanied by scrolls, flowers, and other ornate designs. The Onslow pattern was first introduced in the mid-18th century and has remained a popular choice for flatware enthusiasts throughout the years. The design is named after Arthur Onslow, who served as the Speaker of the House of Commons in England from 1728 to 1761. It is said that Onslow was a great lover of fine silver and that the Onslow pattern was created in his honour.
• Scallop / Shell Motif - The shell motif has been used in furniture and decorative arts for centuries. In ancient Greece and Rome, shells were often used as decorative elements on furniture and in mosaics. The scallop or cockleshell are the most commonly used. During the Renaissance, the shell motif became popular in furniture and architecture, as the ornate decoration was seen as a symbol of wealth and luxury. In the 18th century, the Rococo style of furniture and decorative arts featured an abundance of shell motifs, and it was used by Thomas Chippendale and as a feature on Queen Anne style cabriole legs. In the 19th century, the shell motif was incorporated into Victorian furniture and decorative items, and often a representation of the the conch shell was inlaid into furniture.
  
  

• Victorian Period - The Victorian period of furniture and decorative arts design covers the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. There was not one dominant style of furniture in the Victorian period. Designers used and modified many historical styles such as Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan, English Rococo, Neoclassical and others, although use of some styles, such as English Rococo and Gothic tended to dominate the furniture manufacture of the period.
  
  The Victorian period was preceded by the Regency and William IV periods, and followed by the Edwardian period, named for Edward VII (1841 ? 1910) who was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India for the brief period from 1901 until his death in 1910.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• Mappin & Webb (England) - silver, maker or retailer 204
• silver cutlery / flatware, patterns - shell pattern 221
• silver cutlery / flatware, settings - unboxed 1,407
• spoons, silver - teaspoons, coffee spoons, demitasse spoons 579