Decanter label
Label hung from decanters identifying contents
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Decanter labels, also known as wine labels (not to be confused with paper wine labels) or bottle tickets, are small labels made to hang round the necks of decanters or similar containers to identify their contents. The first decanter labels were probably produced in the mid-1730s.
Terminology
In the Georgian period from which they originated, ‘bottle tickets’ was the term used to refer to these objects. In more recent times, the main terms are wine label and decanter label.[1]
Makers, names and designs
Evidence suggests that the first labels appeared in the mid-1730s. One of the first makers was Sandilands Drinkwater, a silversmith. Drinkwater was a specialist ‘smallworker’ who also made toys. An early form of label was the escutcheon, a shield-shaped design, which Drinkwater may have been the first to develop.[2]
A variety of names are found on decanter labels. As of 2004 the Wine Label Circle had counted 2875 names of which 80% were connected with alcoholic drinks. Of the remaining 20% a large amount are connected with sauces.[3] The final type of name found on labels is for medicinal or boudoir labels.[4]
Materials and production methods
Sterling silver (92.5% silver) is the dominant material in decanter labels. No labels have been discovered from the period of the Britannia standard (95.8%) which ended in 1720, though it is likely that some labels were later made to this standard voluntarily. From around 1750, and until 1840, labels were also produced in the cheaper material known as Old Sheffield Plate, which involved silver being rolled on top of copper and the two materials fusing, creating a metal which appeared to be silver but contained mostly copper. From the 1840s, electroplating replaced Old Sheffield Plate in this role. [5]
Another material is enamel, generally onto a copper surface. One early centre was the short-lived Battersea factory at York House, which operated circa 1753-56. These labels often featured engravings by Simon Francois Ravenet.[6] Shortly thereafter production began at Bilston.[7] Labels can also be found in various other metals such as brass, pewter, silver-gilt, gold, and in at least two cases, platinum. Exotic materials such as tigers' claws and boars' teeth are also found. [8]
Collecting and research
As they are small, lightweight, and visually various, decanter labels have long been collected. They can also appeal to those interested in wine. A dedicated group, the Wine Label Circle, was formed in 1952 and publishes a specialist journal. The Circle has also published three books on the subject.[9]