Tobacco Grater Circa 1700

Beautiful tobacco grater from the Louis XIV period. This grater is made from a single piece of fruit wood, probably pear, decorated on the convex part in low relief with intertwined flowers and foliage, the upper part embellished with a scallop shell (posterior piercing visible). The other side supports an original metal plate perforated with geometrically arranged holes. This pocket object, widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries, was used to grate tobacco, in the form of a carrot at the time (still the symbol of tobacconists today) which was grated to extract the precious vegetable in the form of powder that we sniffed. The curved part in the shape of a scallop shell was used to collect the tobacco powder. This authentic grater has a very beautiful patina of time. Note: a very nice collector's item. Free delivery for metropolitan France.