Spoon 1789

This silver spoon was crafted by Jacob Steen in the 18th century and is now held at the Metropolitan Museum. Its reflective surface catches the light, emphasizing the spoon's elegant form: an oval bowl, slender neck, and flattened handle. The bowl transitions smoothly into a narrowing stem, drawing your eye to the handle's ornate engravings. These embellishments, with their stylized shells and radiating lines, evoke a sense of classical refinement. Notice how the maker’s marks disrupt this smooth surface, a signifier of authenticity which breaks the lines of our aesthetic appreciation. The spoon is not just a functional item but a carefully structured object. The linear progression from bowl to handle demonstrates an aesthetic which can be understood as an example of structuralism, where each part contributes to a unified whole. The spoon serves as a sign within a social structure, reflecting the user’s status and access to material wealth.