Description

An excellent antique sterling silver cruet set with a matching set of 3 silver casters and 2 silver topped and faceted crystal oil and vinegar bottles. The cinquefoil frame has 4 shell feet and a shaped decorative cartouche to the front with a hand engraved monogram. The pull off castor tops are prettily pierced and engraved. Total weight of silver 1189 grams, 38.2 troy ounces. Caster height 17 and 13.5 cms. Bottles height 17 cms. London 1752. All by the same maker Samuel Wood, known for his silver casters.

Literature: The earliest cruet frames contained 3 castors and 2 glass bottles and are not found before 1700. This form is named the “Warwick” cruet after the cruet created by Anthony Nelme in 1715 for the Duke of Warwick. At this date occasionally one finds the two bottle oil and vinegar frame although this form is more usually found on the continent. Later in the 18th century the number of bottles could be as many as 8 or 10 and these would have contained a variety of sauces of the period such as soy, ketchup, tarragon etc and they may have had little sauce labels to identify the contents.

This superb antique silver condiment set is in very good condition with no damage or restoration. The frame and the castor bases all have English silver hallmarks for London 1752, all pieces made by Samuel Wood. The large castor top has the lion mark and makers mark. The medium castor tops and the bottle tops are unmarked. All the castor tops have matching decoration. The bottle tops fit snugly in the circular holders on the side of the frame. The glass has that lovely Georgian colour which you don't find today. One bottle has a small chip at the top underneath the silver top. All fully functional, matching and original. Please note that this item is not new and will show moderate signs of wear commensurate with age. Reflections in the photograph may detract from the true representation of this item.

Maker: Samuel Wood

Samuel Wood (c.1704-1794), apprenticed to Thomas Bamford 1721, free 1730. First mark entered as largeworker, 1733. Second mark circa 1738. Third mark 1739. Fourth mark entered 1754. Fifth mark 1756. Warden 1758-60, and Prime Warden 1763. Through his apprenticeship to Thomas Bamford, who had been bound to Charles Adam, Wood came of a continuous line of specialist caster-makers and in turn trained both Jabez Daniell and Robert Piercey (q.v.), both clearly established also in the same line of production. Wood’s cruets and individual casters, although produced in quantity are of a uniformly high standard and one of the most attractively designed smaller items of plate, without which no reasonably equipped table of the eighteenth century appears to have been complete.

Customer satisfaction is our primary concern

All silverware on our website is checked thoroughly prior to offering it for sale and every product listing contains a condition report and details of the silver hallmarks.

All items offered on our website include:

• Free Shipping Worldwide
• Tracked and Insured
• 14 day no quibble money back guarantee
• We are accredited members of LAPADA and conform to their strict professional standards
• We dispatch 1-3 days after receiving cleared payments

More detailed information about deliveries, returns and how to pay is available in the Help section at the bottom of this page.