This Louis 14th style monoxyl walnut coffee grinder was made by Benoit Tivelier of Saint-Étienne, France in the early 18th century, as shown by the makers mark stamping on the underside of the lid… The second line of text in the stampings is undecipherable and of a different typeface, and thus likely a later addition... Benoit was the maker of several very high end coffee grinders still extant today, most of which were produced mid-century after he had mastered his skills… But this lower end grinder was clearly typical of Benoit’s “bread and butter” products… Four structural characteristics of this grinder indicate that it’s not only an early 18th C. production, but also an early prototype of Benoit’s work before he had refined his skill set… All four factors are based on the clear indicators that this piece was free hand carved (rather than using an established model from which to standardize dimensions), as evidenced by; 1) the vertical axis of the body leans noticeably towards the rear of the grinder, and 2) the main body of the drawer is also monoxyl in construction, rather than conventionally assembled from individual wood panels, and also, 3) the drawer receptacle/cavity is noticeably off-center to the right, and finally, 4) the drawer front panel is offset to mitigate the appearance of the offset drawer receptacle… It’s important to note that many antique Tivelier coffee grinders extant were made by Benoit’s g-grandson Antoine of Lebon in the 19th Century, some of which are rather convincing reproductions of his g-grandfathers pieces that could have passed as Benoit’s work if it were not for Antoine’s makers mark… This grinder was purchased in fair condition and missing the entire hand crank assembly, and required extensive cleaning, corrosion removal, re-staining, painting, and re-waxing of wood its surfaces... I inadvertently stained the interior areas of the wood body, which were very light colored and dry, and should have been left as-is… A handle from an identical BT grinder was obtained (by purchasing the entire grinder for parts) and restored to complete the piece… The grinder is now in excellent operational and cosmetic condition, with all mechanisms functioning as designed (burr grinder assembly, lid hinge, lid lock, lid crankshaft portal door) albeit with some corrosive metal loss along the base side panels, and minor cracks, dents, scratches, and gouges to wood components… With exception to the drawer pull, and upper lid assembly mounting screws, the grinder is period original…

Main Body: 3.25" x 3.25" x 6.35"... Height w/Handle: 9"... Depth w/Drawer: 3/75"