A sycamore lovespoon, painted to look like oak, inscribed with the date 1847.

Lovespoons are the most famous of the Welsh love tokens and were given by suitors to their sweethearts from around the seventeenth century. The custom died out in the nineteenth century but they continued to be carved especially in some country districts. Making lovespoons became something of an art form and they were often produced for woodwork competitions and Eisteddfodau.

The lovespoons shown here are from Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery and represent one of Wales's best collections.

[Source: D. C. Perkins, 'Lovespoons from Wales' (Swansea, 1989)]