The wooden oak drum seemed to be a heavy burden for the auction-house table on which it sat. It was laden with cast-iron metal from top to bottom that surprisingly gave it a lovely patina that you wouldn’t dare clean.
The past always shows up at auction, confronting me with items that befuddle me. And this was one of them.
Drawing closer, I read the manufacturer’s name on the cast-iron shield that bore a lion and unicorn at the top and the drum’s identity on a white porcelain plate at the bottom. Parts of the paper labels, one of which I learned later had contained instructions on how to use the item, were missing.
The drum had patent dates of 1870, 1882 and 1887, and its manufacturer was a British company. It was a must in large kitchens in the late 19th century to clean a tool for preparing and eating food.
What do you think it is and how it was used? Click on the photo for the answer.
