Pair of Sugar Casters

From the 1660s, cylindrical casters with decoratively pierced covers became popular for sugar and aromatic spices. These casters would have held powdered sugar to be sprinkled over the food at table. Sugar was a relatively rare and therefore expensive commodity until the beginning of the 1700s, when trade with the West Indies, with its large sugar cane plantations, increased its availability. Notches on the sides of these casters indicate that they fitted into a surtout, an assemblage for condiments that formed part of an elaborate silver-gilt table service outfitted with numerous matching plates, serving dishes, and tureens. The casters are engraved with the crest of the prominent Howard family and the arms of the Order of the Garter.