Although the claret Jug is known from the eighteenth century where they were made entirely in silver, rather than silver and glass, it was only till the mid nineteenth century that they were becoming increasingly popular.
Jugs were produced in a huge variety of styles from the very plain to the fantastically exotic in both silver and in silver and glass. They were an integral part of the Victorian table both as a practical item and a decorative one. They were usually made as individual items but are sometimes found in pairs.
Most red wines, as well as fortified wines, were strained through a wine funnel and then poured into a claret jug or into a decanter before serving. The earliest decanters of the eighteenth century generally were glass alone but during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century the cut glass decanters were often fitted into a silver frame which would contain three decanters and occasionally four .The invention of what is termed today as a tantalus (a lock up frame normally containing three decanters so the servants couldn’t have a crafty swig of booze !)was an invention from 1881 by George Betjeman who was the Grandfather of the famous poet John . George was a German immigrant who had workshops in the Pentonville Rd.
At William Walter Antiques we always have a fine selection of claret jugs and decanters from all periods for sale.
