Large Hanoverian serving spoon with oval bowl and upturned rounded terminal with midrib on front; long swage-formed rattail on back of bowl. Back of shaft struck with four hallmarks, the raised roman date letter "M" in square (facing terminal), a crowned leopard's head in rounded shield (facing bowl), a lion passant facing left in rounded-corner square rectangle (sideways), and maker's mark "I W" in raised serif letters in a rectangle.
Maker is James Wilkes of London, England; active circa 1722-1755 (registered this mark in 1722 and 1728).