Spoon Has an Inset Silver Triangle in the Rosewood Handle

A silver triangle inset into a rosewood handle, marked by three incised horizontal lines where wood meets metal, makes this spoon a study in how little ornament Spratling needed to give flatware his own stamp. The triangle and the incised lines are the whole of the design.

The wood-and-silver handle reflects Spratling's lasting interest in combining native hardwood with metal (Morrill, p. 73), and the incised lines are an example of cincelar, the hammered marking his silversmiths named as a core technique (Morrill, p. 15). The piece dates to the First Design Period (1931-1946).