Description

Fine & Rare Pair of Mahogany Spoon Urns 

From our boxes collection, we are delighted to offer this extremely good and rare pair of Georgian cutlery urns. The urns made specifically for spoons are veneered in flame Mahogany separated with chequered Boxwood & Ebony herringbone inlay. The front of each urn features a silver shield shaped initial plate linked with a scrolling motif to an oval escutcheon. Each urn is mounted upon a square plinth base with ogee bracket feet with a Satinwood crossbanding dogtooth inlay. Each urn is surmounted with beautifully turned finials. When lifted the urns expand allowing access to the spoon storage compartment featuring multiple individual spaces for spoons.

Both urns complete with working lock and key, unusually each urn is unlocked clockwise.

Richard Gillow, son of founding member Robert Gillow, was quoted saying “knife urns were expensive, difficult and time consuming to make – the expense being due to significant wastage of wood in creating the urn shape, hence their rarity and value today”.

Mahogany, the name given to many types of tropical hardwood and can be found in Africa, India and South America, most of which are a red-brown colour with a fine, even grain. This makes it easily workable and gives it a durable finish which attributes to its popularity with many kinds of furniture.

Boxwood, “Buxus sempervirens” can be found in Europe, Northwest Africa and Southwest Asia. It is a light cream that turns darker to brown when exposed to light. The trees are very small meaning it is suited to smaller projects like edging or inlay instead of veneers.

Ebony is often almost completely black with very little visible grain often with a subtle red/purple hue. This wood is very expensive due to the slow-growing trees which can often be gnarly affecting the yield of straight workable wood. Most ebonies are very dense in structure making work with hand tools very difficult and can quickly blunt cutting tools. This density however offers an excellent finish on turned items.

Satinwood is found in India and Sri Lanka. It has a rich golden colour and an almost reflective sheen. Satinwood is traditionally used for high quality furniture.

With every purchase from Mark Goodger Antiques, you will receive our latest catalogue, a Certificate of Authenticity, detailed care instructions for your chosen piece and an independent invoice (for insurance purposes) will be enclosed. As well as being protected by a no-hassle, money-back policy, your piece will be entirely insured during the shipping process to ensure the safety of your item.

Additional information