Georgian Silver Sugar Caster

This superb sugar caster by the British silversmith Robert Peaston displays the elegant artistry for which Late Georgian silver is known. Fine foliate engraving encircles the urn-shaped body, while a charming twisted-flame finial tops the beautifully pierced dome top. Casters such as this began to appear on upper-class dinner tables around the mid-17th century, designed to shake, or "cast," sugar and other spices such as salt, pepper, and dry mustard upon one's meal. Robert Peaston's mark appears on other similar casters in cruet sets of this period, which are found today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (Massachusetts), and the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne).

Hallmarked London, 1770

5 3/4" high x 2" diameter