Not currently on display at the V&A

Bottle Ticket

ca. 1780 (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
Bright cut silver, engraved
Brief description
Silver, London, ca.1780, mark of W. Barrett
Physical description
Bottle Ticket "MADEIRA". Silver, oblong with bright cut edge and chain attached, from the centre rises a circular medallion engraved with a crest (a castle surmounted by a gryphon's head); chain attached.
Dimensions
  • Height: 0.75in
  • Length: 1.625in
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • Mark of W B for W. Barrett
  • Engraved crest, a castle surmounted by a gryphon's head.
  • MADEIRA
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
Subject 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.459-1944

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Record createdSeptember 10, 2004
Record URL
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