Uncommon and beautifully made, circa 1870, sterling silver serving ladle with lovely hand engraving and bright cut work on the unfilled pistol form hollow handle and around the edge of the bowl, and hand engraved on the handle tip end "S/A/B" (or another combination of those letters which are intertwined and all of similar scale). The ladle weighs 5.69 troy oz. and measures 12 1/2 inches long and 3 3/4 inches across the bowl. Marked on the back of the bowl "Sterling" above ...Gorham's trademark. There's one tiny pin prick ding on the top of the handle, tiny nicks and fine scratches overall, particularly on both sides of the bowl, and the bowl had faint evidence of gilding on a matte ground on the inner bowl face, otherwise in good antique condition and very comfortable to grip in the palm of one's hand.