Apostle spoon
1565–66
Medium
Silver, parcel gilt
Dimensions
Length: 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Mary Strong Shattuck, 1935
Accession Number
35.80.88
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Apostle spoon*, crafted by London silversmith John Foxe between 1565 and 1566, exemplifies the finest Tudor-era metalwork. Fashioned from silver with selective parcel gilding—gold applied to highlight the figural finial—it measures a delicate 6 3/4 inches in length. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, this piece bears London's hallmark, attesting to its origin in one of England's premier silver-making centers during Queen Elizabeth I's reign. Apostle spoons like this one were cherished luxury items in 16th-century Brita...