A set of six Kate Harris art nouveau silver tea spoons

Price: Sold

For sale is this set of six Kate Harris silver tea spoons, hallmarked for William Hutton & Sons.  The terminal of each spoon shows a (dutch)  maiden  peering through two flowers, clutching the flowers’ stems as if imprisoned by bars.  The bowl of each spoon also depicts a similar, possibly male figure.    Having studied Kate Harris I would think there is high degree of symbolism to what initially appears a classic arts and crafts motif.

The spoons are in excellent condition, a good gauge of silver and are in a period, possibly original, box.  Note these spoons are marked for Sheffield 1915, and so were made (or at least assayed) slightly after the period when Kate Harris was designing in Hutton’s London studio.  An identical single spoon is illustrated on page 196 of Simon Moore’s book “Artists’ spoons and related table cutlery”.  That spoon is dated 1898 which makes this design one of the earliest identified by Kate Harris for Huttons.

Kate Harris was employed by the London studio of William Hutton & Sons to produce artistic silver from 1899 to c 1905.  Harris was one of the very few women, or British exhibitors, to win recognition at the 1900 Paris International Exhibition.

For more information on Kate Harris, see Professor Stephen Pudney’s articles on her in the Decorative Arts Society Journal Vol 22 “A marriage of art and commerce: Kate Harris and the arts and crafts silverware of William Hutton & Sons” and Vol 39 “Katie Harris: Mystery Woman of English Art Nouveau”.

Maker:  William Hutton & Sons

Designer:  Kate Harris

Date: 1915

Marks: WHSLtd, Sheffield, “x”

Material: Sterling silver

Condition: Excellent.

Size: 11 cm long

Weight: 0.6 oz, 18 grams each