Description

***** RESERVED *****

Betjemann feathered walnut Tantalus with silver plate handle, housing three beautifully shaped lead crystal cut glass decanters with star cut bases.

The handle is marked: The Tantalus, Betjemanns Patent 16612 London.
To release the bottles the tantalus must be first unlocked, then the lock mechanism must be pressed downwards which will then allow the handle to be tilted either way.

This tantalus comes with a fully working lock and tasselled key.

The Tantalus is named after Tantalos, a character from Greek Mythology who offended the Gods and was condemned to eternal hunger and thirst in the afterlife. He was imprisoned in a pool of water surrounded by fruit trees. When he reached out to drink the water or eat the fruit, the water drained away and the branches of the trees moved out of his reach! It is from Tantalos’s punishment that the word tantalise originates.

Tantalus is a decorative stand, case or box for glass or cut glass decanters. The first lockable Tantalus appeared around the mid 19th Century and was first seen in England around 1870. The decanted alcohol can only be accessed by unlocking and raising or lowering a handle or bar. The Tantalus was popular with owners of large, grand houses of this period to protect the decanted alcohol from being drunk by their butlers & other staff. Therefore the alcohol was kept just out of reach to tantalise – just as in the story of Tantalus!

Walnut comes in many varieties from America to Europe.
American Walnut is often a warm yellow-brown to purple-brown colour with a straight grain.
European Walnut tends to vary greatly from tree to tree in terms of colour and pattern. From light grey-brown to dark brown with dark grain and irregular markings.
Walnut trees often develop large burr growths which when veneered show beautiful rich coloured swirls.

Decanter dimensions:
Height: 10′
Width: 3.75′
Depth: 3.75′ inches

Created By:
JOHN BETJEMANN (1833-1893)
G, G W, & J BETJEMANN, LONDON (worked from 1872)
GEORGE BETJEMANN & SONS, LONDON (worked from 1858)

Additional information