Description

An elegant antique silver wine strainer with a reeded border and shaped thumb piece. Excellent classic plain style. Good weight and colour.

Weight 129 grams, 4.1 troy ounces.
Length 15cm. Diameter 7.2cm.
London 1800.
Maker William Allen III.
Sterling silver.

Marks. Stamped with a full and clear set of English silver hallmarks on the funnel, the marks on the strainer are very rubbed. The crest is a bit rubbed.

Literature: The wine funnel became common towards the end of the 18th century; a few rare earlier examples exist. With the modern wine making methods wine funnels are generally used just for decanting wine however in olden times the wine needed to be filtered before drinking it. The pierced platform is not normally sufficient to strain the wine properly and needs a piece of muslin fitted between the pierced section and the spout. There are two main varieties: the first has a spout which detaches just below the bowl of the funnel, the other has a detachable inner bowl with a pierced centre inside the main bowl. Occasionally there is a further detachable ring which held the muslin firmly. Funnels exist without a pierced strainer and were probably used to decant liquor or possibly perfume; these are normally smaller in size.