Cruet sets are rare in Cape silver. Both Heller and Welz illustrate only one example: a set by Johannes Casparus Lotter (bapt. 1768 – d. 1823), see Heller, 1949:99-100 and Welz, 1976:56. Like the present set Lotter’s cruets were produced around 1800 or a little later. The idea of condiment sets, such as these, probably only developed towards the end of the eighteenth century, which partly explains its rarity in Cape silver. Although the maker’s mark on the foot of the present cruet tray is indistinct, the set has a distinctly “Cape silver” character; particularly in the sawn-cut and engraved decoration. The salt and pepper casters are of an unusual form, respectively marked with an engraved “S” and “P”.