the silver-gilt finial cast as Saint Andrew, holding a Saltaire, with Saint Esprit nimbus, the back of the bowl prick engraved with initials 'RH'
18cm long, 2oz 1dwt, 64gr

The present spoon would have originally been part of a set of twelve, each depicting an Apostle and presumably a thirteenth, depicting the Master. Other spoons from this same set have appeared on the market, for example, one depicting Saint Matthias sold initially from the Britton Smith Collection, Bonhams, London, 21 November 2007 (£6,240) and subsequently Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury 28 October 2015. Another example, depicting Saint Simon Zelotes, was also sold by Woolley and Wallis, 25 April 2017 (£5,500). The latter example had been purchased from Tessiers on New Bond Street probably in the 1950s so the set had been broken up by then.

At least a further three, but very probably four examples, are now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, from the bequest of John L. Severance (museum numbers 1942.803-806). These four depict Saint James the Greater with a pilgrim staff (1942.803); Saint Bartholomew with a knife (1942.804); Saint Paul with a sword (1942.805) and Saint Peter with a key (1942.806). Except for the example depicting Saint Peter, each of the above-listed spoons is prick engraved with the initials 'RH' as in the present example. The Saint Peter example from the Cleveland Museum of Art seems to match the other examples well and is most likely from the same set, though it has had the prick engraved initials erased, as well as having the bowl gilded, at some point after the set was broken up. A final example, now in the Holburn Museum, Bath, said to depict Saint James the Greater (museum number S206) is also probably from the same set, though it is also lacking the prick engraved initials. This example is also later gilded so it is likely that the original initials were removed and the spoon gilded at some point subsequent to the set being split up.