Wine Cooler
c. 1821
Medium
Mahogany, lead lining and brass hardware
Dimensions
73.1 × 108.6 × 64.8 cm (28 3/4 × 42 3/4 × 25 1/2 in.)
Classification
tableware
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
216052
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In the 18th century, open wine cisterns were replaced by covered wine coolers, which kept wine cold for a longer period of time. This example is based on Roman sarcophagi and has been given expressive form by the Dublin architect Francis Johnston. A variation on a plate in Thomas Sheraton’s Cabinet Dictionary (1803), it has richly carved ornamentation—including a cluster of grapes and four lions’ heads, representing Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry. Made for Richard Colley Wellesley, 1...