A lovespoon is a wooden

spoon A spoon (, ) is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a table setting, place setting, it ...

decoratively carved that was traditionally presented as a gift of romantic intent. The spoon is normally decorated with symbols of love, and was intended to reflect the skill of the carver. Due to the intricate designs, lovespoons are no longer used as functioning spoons and are now decorative craft items.

Origins

The lovespoon is a traditional Welsh craft that dates back to the seventeenth century. Over generations, decorative carvings were added to the spoon and it lost its original practical use and became a treasured decorative item to be hung on a wall. The earliest known dated lovespoon from Wales, displayed in the

St Fagans National History Museum St Fagans National Museum of History ( ; ), commonly referred to as St Fagans after the village where it is located, is an open-air museum in St Fagans, Cardiff, Wales, chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture, and architecture of the Wels ...

near

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, is from 1667, although the tradition is believed to date back long before that. The earliest surviving example of a lovespoon worldwide originates from Germany, and is dated as 1664.

Symbols

The lovespoon was given to a young woman by her suitor, to prove to her father that he was capable of woodworking and providing for the woman and their future family. Sailors would often carve lovespoons during their long journeys, which is why anchors would often be incorporated into the carvings. Certain symbols came to have specific meanings: a

horseshoe A horseshoe is a product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toenail, altho ...

for luck, a

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

for faith, bells for marriage, hearts for love, a

wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...

supporting a loved one and a

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

for security, among others. Caged balls indicated the number of children hoped for. Other difficult carvings, such as chains, were as much a demonstration of the carver's skill as a symbolic meaning. Today lovespoons are given as wedding and anniversary gifts, as well as birthday, baby gifts, Christmas or

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

gifts. They are now mostly seen as a folk craft.

Linked spoons

From the mid 19th-century to the early 20th-century newly married couples in Norway ate with linked spoons during the second day of the wedding ceremony to symbolize the linkage of their marriage. Often the spoons and chain were made from a single piece of wood, emphasizing wood-carving craftsmanship. After the wedding the spoons were hung above the door into their house. Similar linked spoons can be found in some ethnographic museums. A design for making linked spoons was published in ''Popular Science'' in 1967.

References

External links

{{Sister project links, auto=y, commonscat=y Arts in Wales Spoons Love Woodworking Wood products German folk culture Welsh folk culture Cultural history of Europe Wedding objects

Origins

Symbols

Linked spoons

See also

References

Further reading

External links