Sterling Silver Mustard Pot with Bristol Blue Glass Liner – Birmingham, 1924
Mustard was served at the table in its own small silver pot, with a lid to keep it fresh and a notch for the spoon.
By the early twentieth century, a cruet of salt, pepper and mustard was a familiar feature of many English dining tables. Hinged lids helped protect prepared mustard from drying out, and glass liners kept it from tarnishing the silver. Cobalt “Bristol blue” glass was a favourite choice, setting off the polished silver while protecting it. This pot was hallmarked in Birmingham in 1924–25, during the reign of George V.
The oval body is plain and gently rounded, with a moulded rim, and stands on four splayed feet. The hinged lid has a shaped, wavy edge that rises to a low dome with a turned finial, and a small notch at the front for the handle of a mustard spoon. A scroll handle curls out from one side. Inside sits a Bristol blue glass liner, regarded as original. The lid is part-marked inside with the lion passant and the date letter z.
Very good condition, with light surface wear consistent with age and gentle use. The blue glass liner is intact.
Key Details
Maker: unidentified (maker’s mark on the body rubbed)
Hallmarks: lion passant and date letter z on the lid (Birmingham, 1924–25)
Period: George V, 1920s
Material: sterling silver, with Bristol blue glass liner
Form: oval mustard pot on four feet, with hinged lid, spoon notch and scroll handle
Dimensions: pot 8 × 4.5 × 4.3 cm; liner 4.5 × 3 × 2.1 cm
Weight: silver 43 g; liner 21 g
Condition: very good; light surface wear; liner intact
Buyer profile: collectors of English hallmarked silver; anyone building a cruet or setting a traditional table
Collector Appeal
Mustard pots that still have their blue glass liners are the ones collectors look for, since the liners were easily broken and often lost. This one combines a clear date, a lively wavy-edged lid and the classic contrast of silver and cobalt glass.
Small enough to pass across the table, and made to be passed often.
