Large Victorian silver owl pepper
Large Victorian silver owl pepper
8521
Large, Victorian-era, antique silver pepper caster in the form of an owl. This charming fellow has inset glass eyes and a hand-pierced head to shake the pepper through.
The interior is gilded so could be alternatively used as a pepper shaker, but it is strongly recommended that they be washed out thoroughly and dried after each use to avoid corrosion. If used for pepper, this is not necessary.
Known as the king of spices, pepper is one of the oldest and most popular spices in the world as well as the most widely traded. Pepper was so valuable that in ancient Greece and Rome it was used as currency, and during the Middle Ages peppercorns were accepted in lieu of money for dowries, rent and taxes.
In past centuries, noble and wealthy families able to afford pepper would present it in silver pepper pots or pepperettes, in a host of novelty designs, to beautify their table and impress their guests.
Weight: 61 g (1.96 troy ozs)
Dimensions:
1863
London
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