Coffin-end sauce ladle by John K.Pitman, Providence

Long tapering handle, light reverse rib, feathered script mono RTVL on front; 7-5/8" long. Condition is near-mint. This is the same mark used by John's father, Saunders. The only way to identify the maker is to identify the approximate year it was made. This piece was made no earlier than 1805-10. By then, Saunders was dead. Incidentally, these small ladles, both coffin-end and late 18thC, were made almost entirely in RI, and most notably in Providence.