Stock No. 3067	George III sterling silver serving trowel
Extremely decorative and rare eighteenth century sterling silver serving trowel, used either for serving fish or for pudding. London 1772 by Charles Aldridge and Henry Green. The outer edge on both sides of the flat spade-shaped blade is engraved with a bright-cut gadroon pattern, while the back edge is scalloped. These surround a band of open-work key pattern. This band borders on a triangular reserve in the centre of the blade whose border is engraved with bright-cut leaves and decoration and encloses a saw-pierced symmetrical pattern of scrolled, flowering branches. The handle is cast and applied and is joined to the blade by an openwork trefoil boss. The curved stem is engraved with bright cutting and ends in an openwork finial with a central acanthus leaf and a scrolled border. The full set of hallmarks are very clearly stamped on the reverse side of the blade. Maker :- Charles Aldridge & Henry Green

Condition :-Excellent with very clear hallmarks
Hallmarked :- London 1772
Size :-	12 inches (30.5 cm) long x 4.5 inches (11.43 cm) at widest point
Weight :- 4.4 ozt (136.9 g)
This beautifully pierced serving trowel is much larger and more ornate than the later varieties and this type is now rare. Since there is no marine life incorporated into the design, it is impossible to know whether this trowel was used for serving fish or pudding. The mark of Charles Aldridge and Henry Green often appears on trowels of this period, as does that of William Plummer

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