DSC01378
Benjamin Smith II
London, England, 1764-1823
James Smith III
London, England, active 1792-1812
Pair of Wine Coolers with Stands, 1811-12
Silver
Long-term loan from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Packed with ice, each of these wine coolers would have been used to chill an individual bottle of wine. Coolers like these were made for aristocratic and royal clients in the latest style inspired by new archeological discoveries. The shape imitates a krater, a type of ancient Greek vessel used for serving a mixture of wine and water, while the stands are ornamented with masks of Silenus, the elderly companion of the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. The long history of drinking wine is celebrated in the form and decoration of this design.
DSC01378
Benjamin Smith II
London, England, 1764-1823
James Smith III
London, England, active 1792-1812
Pair of Wine Coolers with Stands, 1811-12
Silver
Long-term loan from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Packed with ice, each of these wine coolers would have been used to chill an individual bottle of wine. Coolers like these were made for aristocratic and royal clients in the latest style inspired by new archeological discoveries. The shape imitates a krater, a type of ancient Greek vessel used for serving a mixture of wine and water, while the stands are ornamented with masks of Silenus, the elderly companion of the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. The long history of drinking wine is celebrated in the form and decoration of this design.