An  early 19th century painted sycamore nutmeg grater in the shape of a wine bottle. This nutmeg grater would have been carried around in a pocket and used to grate fresh  nutmeg into mulled wine or on to hot crumpets.
The bottle unscrews below the shoulder to reveal the metal grater and the storage space for the nutmeg.
The carved wooden "cork" is also removable. The bottle is painted black and the cork, red.
The whole has achieved a wonderful patina through gentle wear to the paint surface over many years. The interior still retains a little powdered nutmeg.
It measures 7.5 cms h x 3 cms w at the base