A caster, or a castor , is the equivalent of a modern "salt shaker" - used for a variety of at table enhancement to the food service. The vessel was used to "cast" the enhancements over the food, Casters occur in silver and a variety of other materials. Some are for preparation and some for the table. By extension a variety or set of condiment containers could be called collectively casters. The OED has the best definition and provide the usage through time. 



Silas Hurry 

HSMC 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Branstner " < mbranstn @ILLINOIS. EDU > 
To: HISTARCH @ ASU . EDU 
Sent: Friday, November 5, 2010 8:43:21 PM 
Subject: Moravian casters 

Hi, 

Just got back from a ceramics exhibition in Milwaukee that focused on 
Moravian ceramics from North Carolina ... 

Very, very good exhibition of slip-decorated and cast objects, 
including all those really great figural bottles! 

My question is this ... Some of the smaller ceramic figures were 
described as "casters" ... What the heck is a caster? A quick 
internet search found nothing relevant. 

Thanks, Mark 
-- 

Mark C. Branstner , RPA 
Historic Archaeologist 

Illinois State Archaeological Survey 
Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability 
University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign 
209 Nuclear Physics Lab, MC-571 
23 East Stadium Drive 
Champaign , IL 61820 

Phone: 217.244.0892 
Fax: 217.244.7458 
Cell: 517.927.4556 
mbranstn @ illinois . edu 


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