Object Description
A very pretty pair of Regency Period Blue, Black and Gilt decorated Papier Mâché spirit decanter coasters, the borders decorated with trailing vines separated by blue oval panels showing white quills between tram lines.
Circa 1820 Price :£ 590-00p
Height:1.75”, 4.4 cms, Width: 4.75”, 12.3 cms.
Wine coasters have been an integral part of the elegant dining table in England since the 18th century, when they were also known as bottle slides. A coaster serves various functions- it prevents spillage from a bottle or decanter on a tablecloth or directly onto a polished table, it stops one decanter touching another and thus prevents chipping of cut-glass decanters; and it allows the bottle or decanter to be slid across the table, “coasting”, from one diner to another.
The earliest bottle stands were designed to provide support for the narrow, oval shaped bottles used in the 17th century. When glassmakers started to make round, straight-sided bottles that could be stored in racks, a need arose to create a design that would enhance their look on the dining table.
It became fashionable in the 18th century to remove the tablecloth before dessert so that the polished table could be admired. When the ladies had departed the men could sit back and enjoy their port. It was at this point in coaster history that baize began to be attached to the base of flat-bottomed coasters as this allowed them to be slid more easily.