Table Bottle Holder In Solid Silver 800 Thousandths Depicting A Sleigh Pulled By A Reindeer,

Spectacular 800 thousandths sterling silver presentation bottle holder featuring a sleigh pulled by a reindeer, circa 1880

Spectacular solid silver 800 thousandths presentation bottle holder, from the late XIXᵉ century, designed in the form of an elegant ceremonial sleigh intended to accommodate and stage a bottle of fine wine. The set is harnessed to a magnificent, finely sculpted reindeer, treated with a remarkable naturalism reminiscent of animal bronze work. The quality of the chasing and the rich rocaille decoration of the sleigh give this piece a particularly theatrical presence on a reception table or in a grand cellar and gastronomy setting.

The very design of the object responds as much to a function as to an aesthetic quest: to hold the bottle at a steep angle in order to preserve the deposit of old grands crus while sublimating their presentation. This piece was intended to hold prestigious bottles - great Bordeaux, old Saint-Émilion or great Burgundies - in the spirit of the luxurious tableware of the Belle Époque.

The choice of reindeer here appears particularly coherent both in terms of the iconography of the sleigh and the morphology of the animal's webbed, curved antlers, far removed from those of a traditional stag. Above all, the sculptor has taken the treatment of movement to new heights: the reindeer is not depicted in a frozen or merely decorative posture, but in a genuine pulling effort. The animal advances with head down, limbs outstretched and body tilted forward, strongly conveying the physical tension of the carriage. This dynamic gives the whole an intensity and presence rarely encountered in this type of decorative goldsmithery, where animal figures often remain static.

The reindeer is not attached to the sleigh, the latter being designed independently as a bottle holder. This dissociation further accentuates the decorative and sculptural aspect of the ensemble, halfway between a goldsmith's object and a work of table art.

The reindeer is not attached to the sled, the latter being designed independently as a bottle holder.

Features:

• Era: circa 1880
• Material: solid silver 800 thousandths
• Model: bottle holder/table display
• Decor: rocaille sleigh pulled by a reindeer
• Workmanship: richly chased and carved
• Particularly dynamic representation of the reindeer in pulling effort
• Function: inclined support for bottles of fine wines
• Independent and removable reindeer
• Style: Napoleon III / eclectic
• Maximum length: 50 cm
• Maximum height: 20 cm
• Weight: 936 grams
• Title mark "800" visible
• Condition: very good general state of preservation