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Bottle Ticket

1806-1807 (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. Here the pierced lettering identifies the contents as Madeira, a fortified wine named after the island where it was made.

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
Silver gilt
Brief description
Silver-gilt, London hallmarks for 1806-1807, mark of Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith.
Physical description
Bottle ticket with the word MADEIRA (pierced lettering). Silver-gilt, ribbon eclosed by vine leaves, chain.
Dimensions
  • Height: 3in
  • Length: 3.25in
Marks and inscriptions
  • Mark of DS over BS for Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith.
  • London hallmarks for 1806-1807
  • MADEIRA
Credit line
P. J. Cropper Bequest
Object history
Acquisition RF: 44 / 177
Bequest - P.J. Cropper
per W J Sheldrick
Of a pair "Madeira"
Subject depicted
Summary
Bottle tickets identified the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. Here the pierced lettering identifies the contents as Madeira, a fortified wine named after the island where it was made.

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.
Associated object
Collection
Accession number
M.904&PART-1944

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Record createdMarch 3, 2004
Record URL
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