Bright Cut quadruple silverplate salt & pepper shaker set by Rockford Silver Plate Company, plump little condiment casters that would be a fine addition to your antique silver collection.
This satin finished silver salt & pepper shaker set is very ornate on the front, with hand-tooled bright-cut design, but plain on the backs. The caps for the silver salt & pepper shaker are screw-on. The salt shaker shows the most silverplate wear and discoloration, together with a fine surface dent in the back. The lid on the inside is corroded from use.
The pepper shaker, though, has virtually no silverplate wear or loss on the inside, and the inside of its cap is clean. A small amount of silverplate wear is noted on the outside of the cap.
For centuries, condiments were necessary because of the lack of refrigeration. Even when used expediently, meat sometimes had begun to spoil by the time it reached the dinner table. Spices, vinegars and oils were used to hid the pungency of the spoiling meat. In addition, salt and pepper on food were an absolute necessity at the Victorian table. Abe offers an array of antique silver plate items made for serving these condiments, ranging from fabulous silverplated cruet sets to various salt and pepper receptacles.
The basic condiment set began with salt and pepper servers. Next, a mustard jar would be added. Other containers, called cruets, were then added in various sizes. These were generally used for a variety of vinegars and oils. Another serving piece was the muffineer, a caster that held sugar or any other condiment meant to be sprinkled onto foods.
Salt was usually served in open containers, sometimes referred to as a salt cellar or salt stand. Some salt containers had glass liners to help prevent the corrosion that begins when silver and salt come in contact with each other.
Mustard was an important condiment, warranting its own server. At the time that mustard pots were in favor (probably from the 1840s on), dry mustard powder was mixed with water to make a mustard paste, as prepared mustard in its modern glass or plastic jar was not yet available until the early 1900s. Mustard is extremely corrosive to sterling and silverplate, causing a chemical reaction which results in heavy discoloration of the silver. Many mustard pots have glass liners to prevent this. Gold can also be used to provide a barrier. many old mustard ladles were gold-washed on the lower portion where the silver would have touched the mustard.
These quadruple silverplate salt & pepper shakers are both touchmarked on the base with ROCKFORD SILVER P. CO., the Rockford Silver Plate logo of the scales, QUADRUPLE, and the pattern number "58" - of of their earlier patterns.
Each silverplated shaker measures 2.5" high, approximately 1.5" in diameter and each weighs 1.9 ounces. You can read more about the history of Rockford Silver Plate Company from our Silver Manufacturers pages.
A1028 - ROCKFORD SILVER PLATE CO. Quadruple Silverplate Salt & Pepper Shaker Set
SOLD!
