What one can make from amber

[frualeydis]

Duke Johan of Finland (later to be Johan III of Sweden) had a spoon made of amber in 1563. Cool, but not necessarily tasteful.

Comments

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

The question of good taste never seemed to get in the way of conspicuous consumption - like dropping pearls into wine just to show you could afford it.

[seamstrix.livejournal.com]

I may be mixing up my superstitions, but I believe amber was believed to neutralize poison so perhaps Duke Johan was particularly concerned about that sort of thing.

[baronsnorri.livejournal.com]

Could you provide a citation, or link, please, my dear? : )

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

I could if I were at work, but I'm working from home today. It's from the inventory at Åbo Castle in 1563, which was printed with the title Förteckning öfver hertig Johans af Finland och hans gemål Katarina Jagellonicas lösegendom 1563 by the finnish state archives in 1909.

/Eva

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

This is the exact quote:
"En sked aff raff.", it's on page 33 in the aforementioned book.

/Eva