An Early 19thC Primitive Pine Box Grater c.1800

Origin: English
Period: George III
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1800
Width: 10”
Depth: 9”
Height: 16”

The wonderfully primitive pine box grater of unusually architectural form, constructed as a deep, tapering wooden box with a sliding front panel, the interior retaining its original curved hand-punched iron grating plate, the front secured by a collection of wonderfully crude hand-forged iron catches and fittings and primitive leather repairs, with two finger holes cut towards the top allowing the panel to be slid, to a simple cord handle to the reverse and surviving from the turn of the eighteenth century.

The grater remains in superb untouched condition, the pine having acquired a deep chestnut-brown colour and wonderfully dry, worn surface through generations of handling. Numerous knife marks, scratches, knocks and old splits cover the front, while the ironwork has oxidised naturally with age. There is further wear and minor loss to the edges and corners, entirely commensurate with its utilitarian purpose and considerable age. The interior is notably cleaner and lighter, providing a lovely contrast with the richly patinated exterior.

Before the introduction of inexpensive manufactured kitchen equipment, implements such as this were frequently made locally or at home, combining straightforward timber construction with a hand-pierced sheet of iron. The enclosed box allowed whatever was being grated to fall directly into the chamber beneath, whilst the sliding panel provided access to the contents. Its wonderfully rudimentary construction and improvised iron fittings place it firmly within the tradition of European vernacular and country kitchenware.

An exceptional piece of primitive domestic furniture, whose appeal now lies as much in its sculptural form and extraordinary surface as its original function. The almost abstract arrangement of iron catches, twin finger holes and heavily worked timber give the object tremendous personality, a beautifully honest survivor of the rural kitchen.