Silver-Plated Serving Spoon & Fork | Tied-Twig Handles | Wriggle-Work Engraving | c.1880–1910

Silver-Plated Serving Spoon & Fork | Tied-Twig Handles | Wriggle-Work Engraving | c.1880–1910

Two twigs, bound with cord into a small lattice, become the handles of a serving spoon and fork.

Naturalistic branch and twig motifs appeared in European decorative metalwork during the later 19th century. The engraving on these pieces is “wriggle-work”, a zigzag line made by rocking the graver from side to side. The pieces are unmarked, leaving their maker and country of origin unidentified. A jeweller’s test has confirmed their silver-plated construction.

Each handle is cast as a bark-textured twig. At the top, two sticks cross and are tied with cord into an open diamond, and a second cord binding ties the twig to the head. The spoon has a shallow, rounded bowl with shaped edges at the shoulder, engraved inside with a heart-shaped arrangement of wriggle-work and small groups of three dots. The fork has a broad head with shaped sides and five tines, its upper face engraved with scalloped bands of wriggle-work. The backs are plain.

Very good condition, with signs of age. The cast detail on both handles is crisp and the engraving clear. There are small bumps, light spotting to the spoon bowl and surface scratches to its back. No repairs or cracks.

Key Details

• Maker: unidentified; unmarked
• Material: silver plate (confirmed by jeweller’s test)
• Form: small serving spoon and fork with cast twig handles
• Decoration: tied-twig diamond finials; cord bindings; wriggle-work engraving
• Period: c.1880–1910
• Dimensions: spoon 16.5 × 3.9 cm; fork 15.4 × 3.3 cm (length × width)
• Weight: spoon 35 g; fork 36 g; 71 g together
• Condition: very good; crisp handle detail; small bumps, light spotting to the spoon bowl and surface scratches to its back; no repairs or cracks
• Buyer profile: collectors of 19th-century flatware, and anyone looking for unusual small serving pieces

Collector Appeal

The tied-twig handles distinguish this pair, with each knot and cord binding carefully cast in the round. The open diamond finials, bark-textured stems and delicate wriggle-work engraving give these small serving pieces a character quite apart from their practical purpose.

Their ornament belongs as much to the garden as to the table.