Bottle Ticket thumbnail 1
Bottle Ticket thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Bottle Ticket

ca. 1770 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The word BOAL on this ticket refers to a high quality type of Madeira. This sweet full-bodied wine takes it name from the island where it was produced. 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
Materials and techniques
Silver, pierced and engraved
Brief description
Silver, Cork, ca.1770, marked Walsh
Physical description
One of a pair, with the word BOAL engraved (name has been altered, a later engraving). Silver openwork, ribbon across cupid with bottle and goblet among vines and scrolls; chain attached.
Dimensions
  • Length: 2.25in
  • Height: 2in
Marks and inscriptions
  • Maker's name of WALSH
  • No hallmarks
  • Engraved with the word BOAL
Credit line
P. J. Cropper Bequest
Subjects depicted
Summary
The word BOAL on this ticket refers to a high quality type of Madeira. This sweet full-bodied wine takes it name from the island where it was produced. 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.949-1944

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Record createdDecember 7, 2004
Record URL
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