Monteiths, punch bowls and punch ladles

The monteith, which looks like a punch bowl with an ornate rim arid lifting handles, fir ^whist appeared some 20 years after the Restoration but became more general during the later years of the seventeenth century and earlier years of the eighteenth. Monteiths are comparatively rare pieces, and therefore fetch high prices. Their scalloped and notched rims were generally removable. The monteith was filld with cold water, then glasses were hung by their foot upon the notchese, and thus allowed to cool in the water. When the monteith was not being used in l filled it punch. (more…)

Tumbler cups were simple, amusing little vessels which never actually tumbled, because the silver in their rounded base was of a heavier weight than the sides, causing them to right themselves before they spilled their contents. Thus they were most convenient in carriages when refreshment was taken, since they could be relied upon to stay more or less upright, however rough the road or unpredictable the reactions of the horses in an emergency. These tiny cups appeared from about 1650 and were much in demand thereafter, particularly during the eighteenth century. They were usually devoid of decoration except for the owner’s crest or a little engraving, and measured from around two inches in height, seldom being more than four. (more…)