George IV Arts & Crafts Cast Silver 'Shakespeare's Coat of Arms' Caddy Spoon

A George V Arts & Crafts Cast Silver Caddy Spoon, the spatulate shaped handle stamped with the coat-of-arms of William Shakespeare, with a circular bowl and an overall hammered finish.

By Bernard Instone, Birmingham, 1927.

The Shield: A gold field crossed by a diagonal black band (a "bend sable") carrying a golden spear with a silver steel point. The spear serves as a visual pun on the family name "Shakespeare".

There seem to be a number of caddy-spoons in this form, all hallmarked for 1927, as well as a series of caddy-spoons that Instone produced the following year featuring the bust of William Shakespeare. It is possible that these spoons were produced as part of the efforts to raise the funds necessary to rebuild the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, which had burnt down in 1926.

£125.00