This rare stunning antique sterling silver ladle with fiddle pattern handle dates from the Georgian era in 1817 London. The silver marks are as follows.
Lion Passant - Sterling Mark. Leopard's Head Crowned - London. Duty mark - George III.
The mark on the front of the handle - heart with a hand holding a sword - appears to be an engraved family crest. I was unable to definitively identify it.
This ladle is in excellent antique condition with very little evidence of use or wear. On the back of the handle a barely visible "1817" is roughly carved in below the marks, obviously an amateur attempt. Other than that, the ladle is unmarked and clean.The ladle is 13" long with a 3.5" diameter bowl.