What shapes do Georgian decanters come in?

Titles from the Georgian and Regency end name the taper, a plain conical body, and the Prussian, barrel-shouldered and broader at the base. Neck rings, two or three, are common on both. Bottle-shaped blown decanters with little or no cutting are the plainest of the Georgian entries. Cut and engraved work becomes far more usual as the archive moves into the Victorian decades.

Are pairs more common than singles?

Singles dominate. Roughly one listing in five names a pair, which leaves the large majority as individual vessels. Larger groupings do appear. Sets of three and four turn up, along with a graduated 19th-century set, a collection of fifteen flagon decanters, and a fitted box holding thirteen cut glass decanters.

A frame or case made to hold decanters, commonly two to four of them, usually fitted with a lock. Oak is the wood named most often, with burr walnut, rosewood, coromandel and flame mahogany also appearing. Ninety-four titles name a tantalus, and a further 44 name a box or stand. As a group they sit at the top of the range.

Do Art Deco decanters appear often?

Yes, and in quantity. The 1930s are one of the two dates that dominate the archive, with 138 listings from that decade and 124 titles using the Art Deco label. Czech glass is a strong presence within that block, in enamelled and geometric decanter sets, often with matching glasses.

How is coloured decanter glass described?

Bristol blue and Bristol green are the names that recur most, across 87 titles, and they cluster in the Georgian and early Victorian material. Amethyst, amber, cranberry, ruby, milk, vaseline and uranium glass all appear as well. Colour is a thread running through the whole category rather than an occasional departure from clear glass.

Which decanter forms turn up only rarely?

Magnum decanters surface just a handful of times, and a Georgian magnum sugarloaf beer decanter appears once. Novelties are scarcer still. A decanter modelled as a dog, a novelty owl, a monkey claret jug, a pub brandy fountain and a bar whisky dispenser each appear a single time across the whole archive.