About a jug, a cup, a champagne bucket.
by Richard Arebalo for the Texas Wine and Food Foundation
editing by Earl of Cruise
I’ve
collected antique silver for many years, but lately the pace has accelerated
and the size of the collection has grown the more I am inspired by the
beautiful scenes in Downton Abbey.
While
watching my guilty pleasure, I am particularly drawn to the details of
preparing, presenting and serving the food and wine. In every kitchen scene
depicting frantic food preparation, there is always a gallery of beautiful copper
pots and dessert molds in the background. In the dining room, be it breakfast
or dinner, table settings and service pieces are stunning and, thanks to the
show’s historical advisor, Alastair Bruce, meticulously accurate for the
period.
top and below, Tastevin - courtesy TEXAS WINE & FOOD
I can
definitely imagine seeing Mr. Carson, the butler, using a couple of my recent wine-related
purchases--an Edwardian wine ewer from a dealer in the north of England and a
sterling silver tastevin.
DOWNTON ABBEY cast left Butler Carson - Source: Wikipedia
DOWNTO ABBEY influence, addition by Earl of Cruise.
Downton
Abbey has been credited with spawning
a massive worldwide increase in demand for professionally trained butlers,
especially British butlers, notably in China, Russia, and parts
of the Middle East. Between 2010 and 2012, demand was thought to have doubled, leading to
some butlers fetching salaries as high as £150,000.
In 2014,
China's first school for butlers opened to meet a demand again attributed to
the influence of Downton Abbey.
Some of the
fashion items worn by characters on the show have seen a strong revival of
interest in the UK and elsewhere during the show's run, including starched collars, midi skirts, beaded gowns, and
hunting plaids.
The Equality (Titles) Bill was an unsuccessful
piece of legislation introduced in the UK Parliament in 2013 that would
have allowed equal succession of female heirs to hereditary titles and peerages.
It was nicknamed the "Downton Abbey law" because it addressed
the same issue that affects Lady Mary Crawley, who cannot inherit the estate
because it must pass to a male heir.
The decor
used on Downton Abbey inspired US Congressman Aaron Schock to redecorate his congressional offices
in a more luxurious style. He repaid the $40,000 cost of redecoration following
scrutiny of his expenses and questions about his use of public money for
personal benefit, and subsequently resigned in March 2015
Source: Wikipedia
Used for
water or wine, silver ewers were commonly present in dining rooms from the
early Georgian through the Victorian period. However, they were slowly replaced
with simpler glass decanters or bottle service by the early part of the 20th
century. The one in my collection is in the Regency style, but with Sheffield
hallmarks that peg it to between 1900 and 1909.
For centuries in France and
through the 1950s in classic and now cliché French restaurants everywhere, if
there was a sommelier, he would likely be wearing a small silver cup on a chain
– the tastevin. It’s believed that as far back as the 15th century,
a group of cellar masters in Burgundy known as the ‘Confrérie des Chevaliers du
Tastevin’ developed the cup to sample wine in the cellar where it was dark, and
then lit only by candles. The swirls and dimples in the shiny cup were designed
to catch and reflect what light there was and make it easier to check the color
and clarity of the wine.
Ultimately, a sip would determine
if the wine was progressing well or was worthy of being served. Virtually all
contemporary sommeliers use a clear wine glass to evaluate wine, but I like to
think that somewhere in France there is a cellar master checking his wine with
a beautiful silver cup, or an English butler is verifying the standard of the
wine to be served.
Another
recent purchase of mine is a classic Champagne bucket once used on a grand
German ocean liner, the Hamburg America Line, which may have chilled Champagne
for the rich and famous. The English
tended to preferred English liners, but German liners lured passengers with
very high standards of luxury.
top and below, HAPAG Champagne Bucket - © Richard Arebaldo
The bucket was produced by the Gebrüder
Hepp Metalwaren Factory, which was founded in 1863 in Germany. It produced
silver-plated cutlery and table utensils for many renowned German hotels of the
period, and even the German Reichstag (Parliament) in 1927. Though its
hallmarks do not reveal a specific date, it is identical to Champagne buckets
used in hotels and ocean liners throughout Europe in the 1920s and 30’s.
While frequently polishing this
bucket and icing down bottles of Champagne, I like to imagine the many
celebrations at which it may have been present.
Overall, my favorite objects
embody great stories; the best of them tend to evoke stories of food and wine
from long ago. And, as a rule, I try to
buy items that I can actually use in everyday life because I enjoy adding a bit
of history to get-togethers, dinners, or sometimes even to a cup of tea. With the exception of the Champagne bucket,
the ewer and tastevin are not seen much anymore in modern dining rooms and
restaurants. I like to think that using
them on occasion keeps their spirit alive.
Comments
Post a Comment