Samuel Meriton (English, active about 1739 - 1796)
Egg-Shaped Nutmeg Grater, 1796
Sterling silver, 3.8 cm (1 1/2 in.)
This sterling silver English, egg-shaped container from the second half of the 19th Century is a lopsided oval, rounder at the bottom than the top. The container opens at the center, each side encircled with two narrow, raised bands of silver. The outside is otherwise undecorated. When opened one side has five markings in its bottom: a lion in a rectangle; a crowned leopard’s head in a shield; SM inscribed in a triangle; A in another rectangle; and a male profile of a monarch in an oval. In the inside of the other half, a flat, circular metal plate has been inserted with many crude, corroded holes in concentric rings. The function of this plate and object are unknown.
Little Salon
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.