Description:
Silver nutmeg grater marked "IR" in a rectangle on the base of the cylindrical case, and engraved with the initials "W.P" on the side of the case. The pull-off cover is decorated with an engraved, stylized six-petal flower with a center cross-hatched pattern; the case has a wide band at the top to hold the lid, four vertical columns, each with five chevrons, and a molded base. The tubular grater is encircled with pierced holes, and has one solid end. In the past the "IR" mark has been attributed to various American silversmiths - including Joseph Richardson (1752-1831) and Joseph Russell (1702-1780). However, stylistically the nutmeg grater has the appearance of those examples made in the United Kingdom in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. This appears to be the mark of John Rollo (1708-1783) of Edinburgh who was active from 1731 until he left his business in the 1740s to become a customs inspector in Banff. He became the 6th Lord Rollo on the death of his brother Andrew (1703-1765) in 1765.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+75.452 |
