Sugar Caster (one of a pair)
Monogrammist CO
Description
March 28, 2009
This pair of elegantly proportioned sugar casters was originally the property of a wealthy or middle-class household, whose members would have used them to sprinkle sugar into their teacups or onto pastries. Each caster consists of an octagonal body topped by a domed lid pierced with geometric and floral designs that reflect the influence of the Régence style popular in France during the first few decades of the seventeenth century (so named for the period between 1715 and 1723 when King Louis XV was a minor and France was ruled by a regent). Sugar was a luxury good in the eighteenth century, and these casters would have served as suitably noble vessels for this sweet symbol of prosperity.
Subject Matter:
This elegantly proportioned sugar caster would have been used by members of a prosperous household to sprinkle sugar into a teacup or onto pastry. The solid form of the body of the caster is lightened by the pierced designs of the lid, which are derived from the Régence style developed in France.
Physical Description:
This sugar caster consists of an octagonal body topped by a domed lid. The body stands on a molded, octagonal base with alternating concave sides, a design carried through the rest of the body and the lid. The lid is pierced with geometric and floral patterns that alternate on each facet, and is surmounted by a rounded finial. The tall, slender proportions of the caster are counterbalanced by the horizontal moldings that decorate the base, body and lid. An unidentified coat of arms appears on the body of the caster.
Usage Rights:
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