Dessert spoon 1747 - 1748

This dessert spoon was made by Robert Pertt in 18th-century New York from silver. The spoon has a simple, elegant form, its rounded bowl tapering into a slender handle. Silverware like this was not made through industrial production but by the skilled labor of silversmiths, who hand-hammered, shaped, and polished the metal. The value of such objects lay in the preciousness of the material, but also in the intensive work required to produce them. Silver was inextricably linked to colonial economies, often extracted through exploited labor and traded globally. Consider the social context of this object, and the act of eating itself. The spoon represents a certain level of refinement and material comfort. It speaks to a culture of display and aspiration. By understanding the spoon’s making, materials, and context, we can appreciate its significance beyond its function, challenging our assumptions about art, craft, and the complexities of history embedded in everyday objects.