Holt Antiques at East Raynham
A Rare 18th-Century Cast Iron Rushlight Grisset in the Form of a Tortoise Shell
A Rare 18th-Century Cast Iron Rushlight Grisset in the Form of a Tortoise Shell
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A rare and delightful 18th-century cast iron grisset, modelled as the upturned shell of a tortoise. The oval pan is the carapace itself, cast with a network of hexagonal scutes (the name usually given to the horny plates of keratin overlying the bony shell of a tortoise) beneath, and finished with a gently scalloped rim, the edge of the shell. It stands on four short, stout legs, the tortoise’s own, which held it steady in the hot ashes of the hearth.
The grisset was an essential tool of the cottage and farmhouse before candles were cheap. Kitchen fat and tallow were melted in it at the fireside, and peeled rushes were drawn through the hot grease and left to set as rushlights. Most grissets are plain, boat-shaped pans with a long side handle, and figural examples are rare. Robert Ashley illustrates the type in The Rushlight and Related Holders: A Regional View (p. 238). He notes that oval cast-iron grissets are especially associated with Ireland and with Sussex and Kent.
It is a charming marriage of humble function and playful invention, and an excellent piece for a collection of early lighting, hearth equipment or vernacular metalwork.
Provenance: England/Ireland. 18th-century.
Material: Cast iron.
Condition: Normal wear and surface oxidation commensurate with age. Two small circular marks to the interior, probably from casting. Good, stable condition.
Dimensions: Width 10¼ in (26 cm); height 4⅜ in (11 cm)
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