Two sugar casters

Description

In times of shortage traditional utensils of silver or vermeil were replaced by cheaper material, but always in the established precious metal shape. Numerous instances of this can be found in the Historisches Museum. With the change in eating customs and the emergence of the sugar bowl in the C18, the caster for showering fruit and sweet foods abundantly with sugar was superseded by the more economical perforated spoon sprinkler. A traditional sugar caster, a container standing on a narrow foot and with a screwed, perforated dome, is shown on the left made of costly painted faience from the heyday of the Paul Hannong manufactory in Strasbourg. The pewter caster looks distinctly more compact beside it, although it differs only in details from the faience caster; both imitate silver examples.