Coffee spoon 1730 - 1765

This coffee spoon was crafted by Johann Christian Kessler in 18th-century Germany. While seemingly a humble, everyday item, it speaks volumes about the era's burgeoning culture of consumption and the expanding global trade networks. The spoon's delicate floral engravings and silver material reflect the growing appreciation for luxury goods among the rising middle class. Coffee itself, once a rare commodity, was becoming increasingly accessible, fueling new social rituals and spaces like coffee houses. These spaces fostered intellectual exchange and political debate, challenging the established social order. By studying objects like this, alongside period documents and trade records, we can uncover the intricate connections between art, commerce, and social change. Such research helps us understand the spoon not merely as a tool for stirring coffee, but as a material witness to a transformative period in European history. It is through such objects that the social conditions which shaped artistic production can be revealed.