David Vinton, Providence - brightcut dessert spoon

Pointed-end handle, c1795 - slashed molded drop, block mono P over W L in cartouche on front; 7-3/4" in length. That's rather long for an 18thC dessert spoon, but the size and shape of the bowl gives its purpose away. The more important aspect of this piece is the mark -- D.VINTON (see pic). At one time, the DV mark was attributed to Vinton; more recently scholarship has reattributed DV to Daniel VanVoorhees. This is the first time we've seen a full-name Vinton mark; in fact, it may be the only one extant.