Decanter

Name/Title

Decanter

Entry/Object ID

1972.264.1 A-B

Description

Leaded glass decanter. It has a ring foot decorated with a reverse miter cut. Its spherical reservoir has two delicate acid-etched garlands—one grape, one floral. Above the garlands is a wide acid-etched band with a cut oval design. It has a diamond cut neck which contains an inverted tear drop stopper with a cut saw tooth design and a double spout lip.

Use

Decanters are used to store and serve alcohol. Popular drinks in the late 1700s included madeira, port, whiskey, cider, and rum-based punch mixtures. Wealthier individuals often had their own distilleries and wineries on their properties which were operated by enslaved labor. Alcohol consumption was common at all meals, including breakfast, and the average person consumed over three-and-a-half gallons of alcohol per year.

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1875

Dimensions

Height

12-1/4 in

Material

Glass