Caster
Date1810
Mediumsterling silver
Dimensions6 inches (15.2 cm)
MarkingsMaker and date marks on bottom of the lid: GS [in rectangle, upside-down]; lion passant;
Maker, date and duty marks on the side of the caster body: GS [in rectangle]; lion passant; crowned leopard; P [in shield]; profile of George III's head
Credit LineGift of Frank A. Rizza, M.D. and family.
Object number2012.15.118.a-.b
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextThis caster has a baluster shape and stands on a spread foot. Like most casters, it has a removable top with piercings, in this case placed amid engraved latticework. It is topped with a tiny urn-shaped finial. Sugar casters, or castors, were used at the table to sift and sprinkle very fine grains of sugar onto desserts such as fruit or puddings. They were also called muffineers for their use sugaring muffin tops.
The caster was made by British silversmith George Smith IV, who was apprenticed to silversmith William Fearn in 1786, worked in London from 1799 to 1807, and then joined a partnership with Richard Crossley from 1807 to 1812.
