Lot 316. A Pair of Diamond-Set Mother-of-Pearl and Coral Spoons, Turkey, 18th-19th century; 19.5cm. each. Estimate   8,000 — 12,000 GBP. Lot Sold 17,500  €. Photo Sotheby's 2012

each with a mother-of-pearl drop-shape bowl affixed to a cylindrical carved coral handle, mounted at the head with a diamond-inlaid terminal in the form of an aigrette, the coral handle and part of the mother-of-pearl carved with floral and foliate designs, with stands.

Note: A pair of almost identical spoons are in the Topkapi Palace Museum (inv. nos. 2/2497 and 2/2498, illustrated in Atasoy 1992, p.204). These spoons illustrate the extent of Ottoman taste for opulence throughout all aspects of daily life, of which the meals certainly represented an important part. The most elaborate form of spoons, such as these, combined exotic and expensive materials to form not only a utensil but also an aesthetic pleasure extending from sight to touch and taste. 

A spoon was given to each individual at the meal to help themselves from a communal dish of food, one side of the spoon to be eaten from and the other to retrieve food from the dish with differently shaped spoons being used for different foodstuffs.

Sotheby's, An Eye For Opulence- Art of the Ottoman Empire. London, 24 Apr 2012