Pepper box, ca. 1745

Mark:
A . O L I V E R, capital letters, in rectangle, on bottom <br/>
Engraved:
T*C <br/>
Exhibited:
Newton College of the Sacred Heart; Newton, Massachusetts; March 10, 1963; no. 106. Salve Regina College; Newport, Rhode Island; May 17, 1964; no. 106. Early American Silver from the Collection of Cornelius C. Moore; The Rhode Island Historical Society; Providence, Rhode Island; January 1961; no. 32. <br/>
Dimensions:
H. 4 5/8" D. of bottom 1 7/8" 3.5 ozt. <br/> This pepper box illustrates good proportion in its octagonal shape. Its low domed lid is divided into eight panels with circular perforations in each panel. A bell-shaped finial surmounts this lid. It has a scroll strap handle with a grip and tonguelike terminal. There are raised bands at the base and neck of the pepper box which decorate the otherwise plain exterior. The engraving is T*C in block letters on the bottom, for Thomas and Mary Churchill of Plymouth, Massachusetts (Gebelein, November 13, 1950).