About this lot

Description

A 'Gibson' style medicine spoon, unmarked but tests for silver, together with two bombillas, one testing as silver (3) Footnote: The Gibson's Patent medicine spoon has a hollow handle to allow the user to control the quantity of medicine consumed by placing a finger over the aperture. This form of spoon was invented in 1827. This example, though completely unmarked, is of identical design and probably from the same era. Mate is a traditional South American caffeine-rich infused drink, made by soaking certain dried leaves in hot water and is served with a metal straw in a container typically made from a calabash gourd.The metal straw, known as a bombilla, is traditionally made of silver and functions both as a straw and as a sieve. The submerged end is flared, with small holes that allow the brewed liquid through but blocks the chunky matter that makes up much of the mixture.

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