A VERY FINE AND RARE WILLIAM AND MARY WHITE PINE SPOON RACK, ATTRIBUTED TO DAVID DEMAREST, BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, 1729 |

inscribed on back ANO 1729, MVH and CVH; together with eight pewter spoons of the same period. (9 pieces)

Probably original for Margaret Haring (1688-1749) and Claes Van Houten (1684-1744), Tappan, New York;
George Abraham & Gilbert May Antiques, West Granville, Massachusetts, September 1978;
Vogel Collection no. 303.

The rack is in overall fine condition showing wear commensurate with age and use. There is an old age crack starting at the base of the backboard to beneath the decorative crest. There are a couple of losses to the crest, one is approximately 1/2 in. and the other approximately 1 1/2 in.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Hackensack Valley spoon racks are simple backboards with three ledges usually pierced to insert a dozen spoon handles. The boards and the pierced crest were often carved with elaborate, decorative patterns as seen with this example. It was a custom of giving handmade objects which were made to speak of the donor's affections. After marriage, it can be assumed a spoon was given each time a child was christened. The number of openings for spoons indicated the hoped for size of families in olden times.  A closely related example is in the collection of the Bergen County Historical Society, River Edge, New Jersey. The similarities in materials, construction, and the association of many of the spoon racks to Bergen County, New Jersey suggests that there was a school of makers in that area. The carved initials likely stand for Margaret Haring (1688-1749) and Claes Van Houten (1684-1744) who were married in Tappan, New York.  No other couples are recorded in the region with the same matching initials. For additional information see Wallace Nutting, “Carved Spoon Racks,” Magazine Antiques, June 1925, pp. 312-5; Roderic H. Blackburn, “Dutch arts and culture in colonial America,” Magazine Antiques, vol. 130, no. 1, July 1986, p. 143, fig. 4; and Roderic H. Blackburn and Ruth Piwonka, Remembrance of Patria: Dutch Arts and Culture in Colonial America, 1609-1776, (Albany, NY: Albany Institute of History and Art, 1988), pp. 159-61.