This article is about a tableware item. For kitchenware, see
Spoon rest.
Procelain spoon traySilver spoon tray
A spoon tray is a
tray used to rest the
spoons that are either hot, wet, or prepared for serving. The spoon tray, usually elongated,[1] can be found in the
tea,
dinner, or
cabaret services.[2] The spoon tray is sometimes called a spoon boat or a spooner (although some sources reserve the latter term for vessels used for the vertical arrangement of spoons[1]).
The tray looks similar to the pickle or olive dish, but its edges are frequently flattened.[3] The spoon boat was a typical[4] part of a tea equipage in the first half of the 18th century, possibly due to the habit of drinking tea from the saucer that precluded using it to rest the spoon.[5] Britain was importing novel porcelain "boats for spoons" from China in 1722 that were replacing local silver versions available since 1690s.
[6] The tea spoon boats went out of fashion by 1790s.[6] Some spoon trays have slotted areas at their rims, to rest spoons more securely.
References
^
abEllen Schroy (21 June 2010).
"Spooner". Warman's Depression Glass Field Guide: Values and Identification. Penguin. p. 502.
ISBN978-1-4402-1517-9.