HESTER BATEMAN. An extremely rare George III Pocket Nutmeg Grater made in London in 1788 by Hester Bateman.

HESTER BATEMAN. An extremely rare George III Pocket Nutmeg Grater made in London in 1788 by Hester Bateman.

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The Nutmeg Grater is oval in form with a top and bottom opening.  The hinged cover is engraved with an outer band of bright cut motifs in addition to an eye shaped bright cut cartouche containing a set of contemporary script initials.  This piece has protruding reeded bands at both the base and the cover and a steel grater.  The bottom section is also hinged and this is where the nutmeg would have been stored.  This example is fully marked on the exterior of the bottom opening, with a good maker's mark and sterling mark on the inside of the cover and, unusually, with a sterling mark on the side.  Hester Bateman did not make boxes in her workshops, and very few nutmeg graters bear her mark.

Length: 1.75 inches, 4.38 cm.

Width: 1.1 inches, 2.75 cm.

Height: 1.1 inches, 2.75 cm

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