FINE EARLY SILVER SAMUEL MERITON II LONDON FIGURAL BARREL NUTMEG GRATER 1778-95
FINE & EARLY SILVER FIGURAL BARREL NUTMEG GRATER
BY SAMUEL MERITON II ~ LONDON / CIRCA 1778 – 1795
Samuel Meriton I (Sr.) of London was apprenticed to
William Wheat in 1731 and became an independent "small
worker" in 1739. The first mark was registered on 10 May 1739 where
he worked at Cary Lane. A second mark, S.M. in a rectangle, was registered on
July 7, 1746, where he was working at a location called "the acorn” in
Huggin Alley, Wood Street, London. His marks are often found on nutmeg graters
and other small items of holloware. It should be noted that Samuel Meriton I
(Circa 1715 ~ after 1770) and Daniel (David) Field (Circa 1710~1770).
Field entered into his own business about 1727 and both are early and well
documented London "small workers". Records show an interpersonal
relationship between these two families because when Field died in 1770, Samuel
Meriton I attested to the validity of Field's unsigned will. As
contemporaries, both silver shops made a variety of small wears, including
several forms of nutmeg graters. Meriton's son, Samuel Meriton II (Jr.) registered
two marks, the first was registered in May 1775 and a second mark in 1781.
The Samuel Meriton II Maker marks are listed as being in business
between 1778 and 1795.
This small figural 3-piece pocket size nutmeg grater is crafted by an
accomplished Artisan, with each section being hand formed from a single piece
of sheet silver in a ribbed barrel pattern and is 1 3/8” tall x 1” wide across
the center. Weight is .6 ounces or 17 grams. It is obvious that its small size
would make it vulnerable to being lost over 2+ centuries, which adds to its
rarity. The larger section is 7/8” tall with screw threads on the inside lip
and a wide plain band in the center, so when the piece is assembled, the nutmeg
grater has equal ribbed patterns at the top and bottom with a center plain band.
The smaller section that houses the grate is 5/8” tall with screw threads at
the top lip that secures the two pieces together. Note that these small pocket
graters have very thin and delicate threads on both pieces. This piece has excellent
threads and screws together tightly. However, as a cautionary procedure is
important to be sure to align both halves gently and ensure the gap between the
two pieces is equal all around before slowly engaging the threads to slowly
screw together to ensure the thin delicate threads to avoid damaging them by
not properly aligning the 2 pieces. The original small grate is 7/8” across and
is hand made to fit inside the smaller top. The steel grate is hand punched
from the bottom to create tiny protrusions to grate the hard nutmeg nut, and has
dark, naturally occurring aged patina with a thin silver ribbed outer rim with
a small lip that seats perfectly and snugly inside the smaller section. Overall,
in fine condition, especially considering this piece is 225+ years old. This
would be perfect for any 1700’s, silver, nutmeg grater, accoutrement, or smalls
collector.
It should be noted that in a large, 30-year 100+ example study of 18th
century figural egg form nutmeg graters, 41% displayed only a Maker mark and
all were handmade by specialty silver craftsmen using the "raised by turning" method of each
piece being created from a single flat sheet of silver. Sameul Meriton I
and his son(s) Samuel Meriton II, were the most prolific maker of novelty
egg form nutmeg graters with 44% of observed examples, and it can be presumed that
Meriton’s production of the popular barrel form nutmeg graters would be comparable.
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v.9.19.2020
