A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVER
AND OBJECTS OF VERTU
THE WHAT IS? SILVER DICTIONARY
WINE COOLER
WINE CISTERN

Wine cooler and wine cistern are receptacles for holding iced water and lumps of ice to chill one or more bottles of wine.
Early examples of wine cooler were made in the 1790s in the shape of straight-sided vessels on a flat base standing on the table or on the sideboard.
In the period 1800-1810 some were shaped as a barrel, decorated with encircling hoops.
In the 1820s some were made with a footed base, decorated at the bottom with gadrooning and having two horizontal handles or two drop-ring handles.
After 1820 the form became more elaborate with relief decorations of acanthus leaves, grapes, floral patterns, mythological friezes and applied masks.
Often they had a separate cylindrical metal liner into which to place the wine bottle and a removable collar to cover the iced water.
Until the 1840s these devices were called "ice-pail" or "ice-bucket" but thereafter they were catalogued as "wine cooler".


wine cooler mask handles 1795 plain wine cooler with gadroon mounts 1803
wine cooler with thread mounts and mask handles 1810 T. Law & Co wine cooler, oblong shape with gadroon and shell mounts, 1812


wine cooler fluted body, shell and gadroon mount 1815 wine cooler acanthus decoration, vine border, 1817
wine cooler ring handles and heavy ornate mounts, 1819 wine cooler, heavy ornate mounts, 1820


wine cooler mask handle support and fluted base, 1833 wine cooler, light flat chased ornamentation, 1839


The wine cistern is a large oval receptacle in the form of a deep basin for holding iced water and ice to chill several bottles of wine.
The oval bowl rests on four feet or a spreading base and has two large carrying handles of various forms (drop-ring, flying scroll, horizontal scroll).
The bowl is decorated in various styles with embossing and engraving.
They are objects of great weight hence many were melted and few have survived in England.
silver wine cistern silver wine cistern
silver wine cistern



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