Not currently on display at the V&A

Bottle Ticket

1784-1785 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Bottle tickets identified the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. Contemporary gazettes begin to refer to ‘labels for bottles’ in the 1770s but it was not until the 1790s that they were established as wine or decanter labels.

These tickets also illustrate, in miniature, the skills of the silversmith over the last two hundred years. While the variety of styles and materials was enormous, silver bottle tickets tended to reflect fashionable designs and technical advances in metalware generally.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Bottle Ticket
  • Chain
Materials and techniques
Engraved silver
Brief description
Silver, London hallmarks for 1784-5, mark of E. Robinson and T. Phipps
Physical description
Bottle Ticket, one of a set of four, "LISBON". Silver with engraved border of dogtooth design; above is a small oval cartouche raised on two scroll arms amd engraved with the crest for Cavendish (a snake knotted); chain attached.
Dimensions
  • Height: 1.75in
  • Length: 1.75in
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • Mark of TP over ER for Thomas Phipps and Edward Robinson
  • London hallmarks for 1784-5
  • Engraved with the crest for Cavendish, a snake knotted
  • LISBON
Credit line
P. J. Cropper Bequest
Object history
Bequest - P. J. Cropper
per W J Sheldrick
Acquisition RF: 44 / 177
Production
Reason For Production: Retail
Subjects depicted
Summary
Bottle tickets identified the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. Contemporary gazettes begin to refer to ‘labels for bottles’ in the 1770s but it was not until the 1790s that they were established as wine or decanter labels.

These tickets also illustrate, in miniature, the skills of the silversmith over the last two hundred years. While the variety of styles and materials was enormous, silver bottle tickets tended to reflect fashionable designs and technical advances in metalware generally.
Collection
Accession number
M.434-1944

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Record createdSeptember 10, 2004
Record URL
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