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

Bottle Ticket

1826-1827 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The history of bottle tickets provides a fascinating insight into English eating, drinking and personal habits. 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. Their function was to identify the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. These tickets also illustrate in miniature, the skills of the silversmith over the last two hundred years. While the variety of styles and materials were enormous, silver bottle tickets tended to reflect fashionable designs in metalware generally. Makers were quick to adapt the many technical advances of the 18th and 19th centuries.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver
Brief description
Silver, London hallmarks for 1826-7, mark of Robert Garrard II
Physical description
Bottle ticket (one of a set of four) with the word SHERRY (pierced lettering). Silver, pierced and repousse, a buck statant upon a wreath with the motto JAI BONNE CAUSE (Thynne, Marquess of Bath), the whole enclosed within a ribbon to the ends of which a chain is attached.
Dimensions
  • Length: 6.4cm
  • Width: 6.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Mark of RG crowned for R Garrard, duty, sterling, date letter l, leopard’s head.
  • London hallmrks for 1826-7
  • Engraved with the crest and motto for Thynne, Marquess of Bath, A buck upon a wreath with the motto J'ai bonne cause.
  • SHERRY
Credit line
P. J. Cropper Bequest
Object history
Acquisition RF: 44 / 177
Bequest - P.J. Cropper
per W J Sheldrick
From four “Claret”
Subject depicted
Summary
The history of bottle tickets provides a fascinating insight into English eating, drinking and personal habits. 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. Their function was to identify the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. These tickets also illustrate in miniature, the skills of the silversmith over the last two hundred years. While the variety of styles and materials were enormous, silver bottle tickets tended to reflect fashionable designs in metalware generally. Makers were quick to adapt the many technical advances of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
M.1002-1944

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJanuary 21, 2005
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest