Post-Medieval Dutch Pewter Spoon with Marked Bowl Culture / Period: Post-Medieval Netherlands Date / Period: 16th–17th century Material: Pewter Dimensions: Length 167 mm Condition: Good condition, with surface wear and patina consistent with age and use No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid. Provenance information: Object Registration ID: 28 The current owner purchased the object from a private collector, N.N., in Spaarndam. The previous owner, a private collector, N.N. from Spaarndam (the Netherlands), stated that the object had been in his collection since an unknown date. According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1960s/1970s. No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner. Background Information: This Dutch pewter spoon dates to the 16th–17th century and belongs to the broad tradition of Post-Medieval domestic tableware used in the Netherlands. Spoons of this type were everyday household objects, intended for eating and food serving, and would have formed part of the ordinary material culture of both town and countryside. The form is simple and functional, with a rounded bowl and a straight handle, reflecting the practical character of pewter utensils of the period. The marked bowl is of particular interest. Such marks may indicate an owner’s mark, a control punch, or a workshop-related stamp, although without a secure reading or attribution the precise meaning of this example cannot be confirmed. Even so, the presence of such a mark fits well within the established tradition of Dutch pewter production, in which quality, ownership, and workshop practice could all be expressed through stamped signs. During the 16th and 17th centuries, pewter was widely used in the Netherlands for spoons, plates, tankards, and other household vessels. It was valued as a practical and affordable material, more accessible than silver yet durable enough for repeated daily use. Production was not random, but part of an organised craft tradition, often connected to urban workshops and guild-regulated manufacture. In cities across the Dutch Republic, pewterers supplied local markets as well as wider regional demand. The Netherlands occupied a central position in European trade during this period, and everyday utilitarian wares circulated widely through commercial exchange. Objects of this kind belong to the wider world of Dutch domestic life in the early modern period, when well-made but practical utensils were essential to dining habits and household routines. Dating to the 16th–17th century places this spoon within the wider context of the Dutch early modern era, when craftsmanship, trade, and daily domestic life were closely intertwined. This piece provides a direct and physical link to that world, in which such objects were part of everyday life and used by the people who handled them at the table centuries ago.