desimonewayland:German Spoon made 1530-40 / silver gilt with coral Via the V&A: Coral was not on
desimonewayland:German Spoon made 1530-40 / silver gilt with coral Via the V&A: Coral was not only beautiful, it was also believed to have a range of protective properties, including the ability to ward off malignant magic. Its use in sixteenth-century cutlery shows not only the fashion for combining beautiful, natural materials with the goldsmith’s skill to make a functional, domestic object, but also suggests persisting concerns about poisoned food, a danger which the presence of coral could avert. -- source link