Besomim (spice) container
Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany, c1780
Craftsman: "jr" - unidentified
Silver, pierced, engraved; h 25.5 cm, diam. 6.3 cm

A tower form such as this one -- with the square body, balustrade, corner towers and conical upper turret -- was typical of Nuremberg, and appeared in many different sizes. A fair number of such towers, larger and smaller, are known in various collections.

This example has parts marked on the inside with "iii," indicating that this was made in a series of at least three pieces. Almost identical pieces were sold at Sotheby's in 1984 and 1988. Another example exists in the EIS collection in Berkeley. A different form, apparently by the same master, was sold at Sotheby's in 1997. Although the maker's mark, "jr," is not positively identified, there is reason to believe that it is Johann Jacob Rosch.