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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 67, The Whiteley Galleries

Nutmeg Grater

ca.1850 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A nutmeg grater is an implement for grating nutmeg (to be applied on punch, toddy or other hot beverages, or on meat or other food), used principally during the period 1780-1840. There were two types: (1) portable, made in a variety of shapes such as a cylindrical tube, a circular, oval or rectangular box, a teardrop, heart, egg, urn or rum keg and: (2) table type, half cylindrical or canoe shaped. Inside there was a space for the whole nutmeg, an iron or steel grater and sometimes space for storing grated nutmeg. Many examples bear a monogram but few a crest.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Case
  • Nutmeg Grater
Materials and techniques
Silver, separate grater and case, cylindrical, acorn shaped finial
Brief description
Nutmeg grater, silver, made in France, ca. 1850
Physical description
Silver, cylindrical with moulded foot and cover, the latter terminating in a knob. Decorated with erngraving of wavy lines, bands of Greek key pattern and a cartouche (blank) for initials. The cylindrical grating plate, also of sil;ver, is attached to the cover.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 3.5cm
  • Height: 9.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Minerva's head, stamped on the lid of the case. (French standard mark in use from 1838)
  • Mark: a lozenge with the intials PF and a bird between letters (Unidentified maker's mark)
Credit line
Given by J. H. Fitzhenry
Subject depicted
Summary
A nutmeg grater is an implement for grating nutmeg (to be applied on punch, toddy or other hot beverages, or on meat or other food), used principally during the period 1780-1840. There were two types: (1) portable, made in a variety of shapes such as a cylindrical tube, a circular, oval or rectangular box, a teardrop, heart, egg, urn or rum keg and: (2) table type, half cylindrical or canoe shaped. Inside there was a space for the whole nutmeg, an iron or steel grater and sometimes space for storing grated nutmeg. Many examples bear a monogram but few a crest.
Collection
Accession number
1352:1, 2-1902

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Record createdMarch 15, 2004
Record URL
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