UK. FEBRUARY 2025. One of the most extensive private collections of Antique silver wine labels is being offered at auction in the UK this month. The collection is a wine lovers delight, featuring rare and unusual examples from a collection amassed over 30 years, by the wine connoisseur and private collector Simon Ward. Close to 100 lots will be offered of what is part II of this extensive collection, with estimates ranging from £80 up to £600 (lots 155-253).
Wine labels have a rich and interesting history, with many featuring more than just a description on the wine bottle, or decanter’s contents. A truly British tradition, labels were used initially for purely practical reasons, but as they rose in popularity among the affluent, they became more and more elaborate.
Solid silver labels are associated with the use of decanters, to help the wine breathe and let the sediment settle, however when wine was decanted for dinner, or on an occasion, there was no way of knowing what the contents were, therefore labels that could be reused again and again to identify what the contents were, began to be more widely used on a day to day basis, not just for practical reasons, but as a sign of good etiquette and status.
An 1837 pair of George III labels with charming feather edge detail by London-based silversmith Hester Bateman (1708-1794). Estimate £400-£600 (lot 161)
The collection includes some highly decorative examples, with unique designs, motifs and emblems incorporated into them. Among them for example is a set of eight Victorian labels,
by Joseph Wilmore, a Birmingham silversmith, who took over his grandfather’s business in 1816. He was also registered in a London assay office and had a showroom in Bouverie Street and then in Thavies Inn in Holborn, where his reputation grew as exceptional in his craft. This set of silver wine labels are rectangular in form and feature a pierced grape and vine border. Each label is engraved with their alluded contents: Port, Sherry, Madeira, Claret, Marsala and Burgundy. They date from 1837 and carry an estimate of £400-£600 (lot 161).
An interesting pair of George III labels with a raised pediment and urn, feature a charming a feather-edge border. They were produced by the female London-based silversmith Hester Bateman (1708-1794), who was celebrated for her high-quality ornamental silverware. Engraved Port and Sherry and dating from c. 1780, they carry an estimate of £300-£400 (lot 216).
A pair of George III silver wine labels by Sheffield silversmith Robert Gainsford featuring two Bacchanalian cherubs. Estimate £150-£200 (lot 169)
A pair of George III silver wine labels by well-known silversmith Robert Gainsford, based in Sheffield, feature two Bacchanalian cherubs with elaborate grape and vine decoration. Oval in form, they are engraved Marsala and Madeira and date from 1810. They carry an estimate of £150-£200 (lot 169).
In the same sale is a collection of wine ‘tasters’, which are small vessels used to evaluate the colour and clarity of wine. Wine tasters were apparently used by wine aficionados as far back as the Minoan civilization (a Bronze Age culture that flourished on the island of Crete from around 3000–1100 BC)! These examples, although a lot later, are highly decorative objects in their own right, with estimates in the collection ranging from £300-£400.
A Louis XV French provincial silver wine taster by French silversmith Jean-Baptiste Buchet, featuring a resting man drinking wine! Estimate £300-£400 (lot 279)
Among the highlights is a Louis XV French provincial silver wine taster by French silversmith Jean-Baptiste Buchet. His work can be found in museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It sports a scroll thumb piece, engraved with a resting man drinking wine! It dates from 1725/6 and carries an estimate of £300-£400 (lot 279).
A Louis XV French provincial silver-gilt wine taster with the inscription in French ‘Let Lafite be my guide’
Estimate £300-£400 (lot 269)
A Louis XV French provincial silver-gilt wine taster is decorated on its thumb piece with an engraved blind-folded cherub holding a flaming heart, alongside a dog on a lead. An inscription in French reads ‘Let Lafite be my guide’! Made by Jean-Jacques Ameline (1756-1762), it carries an estimate of £300-£400 (lot 269).
A Louis XV French provincial silver wine taster by another celebrated French maker, Mathieu-Pierre Lamoureux is engraved with a man with a hammer and a reclining lady. Dating from 1775, it carries an estimate of £300-£400 (lot 275).
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