A small, mottled brown box with rounded corners.
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Unknown Maker, American

Nutmeg Grater

Maker

Unknown Maker, American

Culture

American

Title

Nutmeg Grater

Year

1800s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

tin, silver

Dimensions

2.5 x 2.7 x 5.1 cm (1 x 1 1/16 x 2 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Miss Sarah C. Durfee

Object Number

15.917

Type

Exhibition History

Trading Earth
Ceramics, Commodities, and Commerce
Apr 09, 2022 – Aug 03, 2025

Label copy

Typically made from a plant’s root, bark, fruit, or seeds, spices can be used fresh or dried. They can be crushed or combined with other ingredients using a weighty pestle in a mortar, ground into a powder, or in the case of nutmeg’s hard seed, grated with a specialized tool. Containers for storing spices were designed to be airtight and secure, like the multi-compartment silver box from India, the world’s largest producer, exporter, and consumer of spices.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, American
Nutmeg Grater, 1800s
Tin with silver
2.5 x 2.7 x 5.1 cm (1 x 1 1/16 x 2 inches)
Bequest of Miss Sarah C. Durfee 15.917

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