Coaster
ca. 1780 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
By the 1760s coasters, or bottle stands, were popular drinking accessories. Gentlemen could not drink freely until the end of the meal when the ladies had withdrawn to take tea or coffee in the drawing room. The butler laid out the appropriate glasses in front of each guest. He placed glass decanters on coasters, before the master of the house to be passed around informally. Coasters allowed guests to slide decanters or wine bottles across the table without scratching the surface. They also caught wine drips that might stain the table. Coasters had baize covered or polished wooden bases. Later versions sometimes had wheels.
This coaster is made of Sheffield plate. In 1742 Thomas Boulsover discovered that fused bars of silver and copper could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The Sheffield plate industry flourished for approximately one hundred years until electroplating superseded it in the 1840s.
This coaster is made of Sheffield plate. In 1742 Thomas Boulsover discovered that fused bars of silver and copper could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The Sheffield plate industry flourished for approximately one hundred years until electroplating superseded it in the 1840s.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Sheffield plate, a laminate of sterling silver fused on to a copper core, on a turned wooden base |
Brief description | Sheffield plate, on a turned wooden base, Sheffield, ca. 1780 |
Physical description | Sheffield plate on a turned wooden base lined with baize, (one of set of six), the side pierced and chased with rosettes and garlands; reeded edge. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Production type | Mass produced |
Marks and inscriptions | No marks |
Credit line | Miss M. B. Hudson Bequest |
Object history | Given to the Museum by Miss M. B. Hudson. |
Production | Reason For Production: Retail |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | By the 1760s coasters, or bottle stands, were popular drinking accessories. Gentlemen could not drink freely until the end of the meal when the ladies had withdrawn to take tea or coffee in the drawing room. The butler laid out the appropriate glasses in front of each guest. He placed glass decanters on coasters, before the master of the house to be passed around informally. Coasters allowed guests to slide decanters or wine bottles across the table without scratching the surface. They also caught wine drips that might stain the table. Coasters had baize covered or polished wooden bases. Later versions sometimes had wheels. This coaster is made of Sheffield plate. In 1742 Thomas Boulsover discovered that fused bars of silver and copper could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The Sheffield plate industry flourished for approximately one hundred years until electroplating superseded it in the 1840s. |
Bibliographic reference | Banister, Judith. Wine Coasters in Silver and Old Sheffield Plate. Antique Collector. May 1976, vol.5, pp.37-41. |
Collection | |
Accession number | M.333E-1922 |
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Record created | June 19, 2009 |
Record URL |
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