Posted 3 years ago
Russell117
(98 items)
Don't see these on the dining table in modern times but they were very common throughout the duration of the Victorian era. Wine glasses were kept cool and clean by being suspended by their crystal foot from one of the two spouts / lip that was closer to you. This rinser has many bubbles and the pontil is polished smooth. The glass is quite thick to absorb the banging of the glasses as they were placed inside. There would have been a number of them placed strategically around the table to assist the diners. They came in clear and cut crystal, ruby, amethyst and blue. Some were larger in size and could fit two wine glasses. 13 cms from lip to lip and 8.5 cms tall. The wine glass sitting inside the bowl is 11.2 cms tall and 4.8 cms wide at the mouth. I would like to add more of these to my collection, especially a ruby one to match my cranberry wine glasses.
I know very little about the Victorians and I never knew these were a thing.
I find it quite modern looking in the green and clear.
Interesting..I had no idea that these existed. I did purchase some desert bowls recently for our etsy store. They were in a green color similar to your piece. A family friend bought them before they got listed.
dav2no1, wine rinsers were an essential item at the formal dining table in Victorian times. Some collectors just concentrate on these only. They also had smaller bowls in mainly green and cranberry where you were able to dip your fingers to clean them between courses - they were known as finger bowls and were completely round with no protruding lip. Napkins would be on the table to dry your fingers and hands after washing them - so you could rinse your wine glass and then your fingers from another glass bowl specifically designed for this purpose. The glass rinsers were more of a small tub-like design with straighter sides as the one shown above. I think they would have been more in England rather than in America or Europe. Hope this information was helpful. Thanks for your comment.
Thank you. Now I know what it is, if I come across on. Great post..
I wouldn't have known either. One more 'thing learned' from CW S&T.
:-) :-) :-)
Gotta ask the maybe simpleminded question though: why was there a need for a wine glass to be rinsed at the dinner table? Between servings of different wines, or crud left in the bottom when a glass was consumed, or poor general dishwashing facilities, or just because it was ostentatious, or ???
you got it: between serving different wines:
https://chronicadomus.blogspot.com/2014/09/arcane-dining-oddities-wine-rinser.html