Mary Rood facts for kids
Mary Rood was a talented English silversmith who lived in the 1700s. She was known for making beautiful silver items during a time when it was less common for women to run their own businesses.
The Story of Mary Rood
Not a lot is known about Mary Rood's early life. Her maiden name, which is her family name before marriage, might have been Roode. It is thought that she was the widow of another silversmith named James Rood.
Becoming a Silversmith
On December 2, 1721, Mary Rood officially registered her special marks. These marks were like her unique stamp that she put on silver items. They showed that the silver was real and met high quality standards, like "sterling" silver. She lived and worked in an area of London called Maiden Lane. She was known as a "largeworker," which meant she made bigger silver pieces.
Her Amazing Silverwork
Mary Rood created many beautiful silver objects. Some of her most famous pieces are small dishes used for salt, often called "saltcellars" or "trencher salts."
- A pair of her saltcellars, made between 1724 and 1725, are now kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
- Another pair of her trencher salts, from 1723, can be seen at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.
- A third set of trencher salts, also made around 1724 or 1725, is part of the silver collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Many other silver items with her special mark have also survived. All of these pieces date back to the 1720s, showing her active period as a silversmith.
