Souvenir spoon: “Trusty Servant”
Winchester, England
1885-1920
Maker
D.K. Murray (dates unknown)
Measurements
4-1/2 in x 1 in x 5/8 in
Materials
Silver
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.
Accession Number
1971.1167
Inscription
“D.K.MURRAY / WINCHESTER” is stamped into the back of the handle.
Provenance
Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner
Comments
The sculpture at the tip of the spoon is a rendition of the “Trusty Servant,” an image from a 16th-century Winchester College (founded in 1382) mural of the ideal servant, painted in 1579: It has a pig’s snout (eats everything), ass’s ears (hears everything), a human body, and deer’s feet (representing swiftness). Its mouth is locked shut. It carries cleaning tools.
The spoon is made of thin silver. D.K. Murray appears to have been a jeweler or watchmaker (or retailer) in business in Winchester in the latter 19th century through the early 20th century at least.
