Like other things, decanters were still made by hand: hand-blown, hand-engraved and cut by hand—each decanter unique. This was before the Industrial Revolution of the early 1800’s, when the power of machines replaced the delicate, skilled touch of the human hand.

The decanters of this period—the reign of England’s George III—have a style and grace that are unique in modern history. And though they have become painfully rare, the surviving examples have given pleasure to six generations of wine lovers.

Recapturing an Era. Several years ago, we decided to attempt to recreate some of the best of the early Georgian decanters. We commissioned John Jenkins & Sons—an old British company specializing in handmade glass—to produce faithful reproductions of “high-style” Georgian decanters. As our models we used the finest examples that we have collected over the past two decades. Our goal was to produce classic, now-rare designs in both bottle and magnum size. Each decanter would be produced entirely by hand, using the same methods that produced the original two hundred years ago. Each decanter would be made in a limited series, signed and numbered on the base.

As our first project, we selected a rare magnum taper (c.1770), and began working drawings in the spring of 2000. Now, more than three years later, the project has come to fruition.

The Magnum Taper. If any one style of decanter embodies the Georgian period of decanters it is the taper. Produced from approximately 1770 until 1790, taper decanters take their name from their shape: a graceful broadening from neck to base. Unadorned by neck rings or heaving carving, they are some of the sleekest, most refined decanters ever made.

A decade ago, we acquired a very fine pair of magnum tapers made about 1770 in England. Though Georgian decanters were often made in sets of two, four or even more, it is rare for more than one to have survived two centuries of use. It is even rarer for a pair of magnums to have survived.

This pair is especially remarkable for its beautiful "fishscale" cutting in the neck and the unusual band of engraving on its side. The pair also stands out for its beautiful cut star stoppers. It was only after a few years of ownership that we learned that one of the pair had been used to illustrate the best in Georgian decanters in Robin Butler’s classic Book of Wine Antiques.

Our Offer. We have produced 140 of these magnum decanters; each signed, dated and numbered on the base. Each was hand-blown, and hand-cut and hand-engraved using stone wheels. The decanters are available in either singles or pairs, with a two-decanter limit per customer.

Magnum Taper decanter          395.00
Reproduction c. 1770 English

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Attention California residents. Proposition 65 Warning:
Consuming foods or beverages that have been kept or served in leaded crystal products will expose you to lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.

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