The marrow spoon was invented in the 1690s to remove marrow jelly out of cow bones which was and still is today regarded as a delicacy. The marrow spoon which appears slightly earlier in date than the marrow scoop is basically a spoon, the handle of which is formed as a scoop for the removal of the marrow from the beef bone.
The earliest marrow spoons from the 1690s are often gilded and engraved with stylised leaf work on the stem and on either side of the rat tail and vary in size somewhat (normally about the size of a dessert spoon but lengths can be quite variable). Sometimes they are found as pairs. By the early eighteenth century the marrow scoop appeared and from then on was made in larger quantities. It is essentially two different size scoops joined in the centre by a short stem. As with marrow spoons, they are all made in one piece.
Marrow scoops are generally around 22/23 cm ( 9 inches) long with a little tolerance at the upper and lower end. Most scoops were plain and often engraved with family crests or initials and by the 1730s they can sometimes be found with shell or scroll decorative motifs on the back of the front scoop.
By the later eighteenth century scoops often follow the pattern of a flatware service but by the middle years of the nineteenth century the fashion for marrow scoops wanes. They are often used today as high-class honey scoops or for stirring cocktails. (As well as their original purpose!)
At William Walter Antiques we usually have a fine selection of scoops and spoons for sale.
