Antique Cellaret Box
An antique cellaret box is a serious drinking vessel container designed to keep wine and spirits secure and cool in the dining room.
Antique Cellaret Box
When you search for an antique cellaret box, you encounter substantial dining room storage vessels originating chiefly from the Georgian, Regency, and 18th Century periods. These pieces take the form of cellarets, wine coolers, and spirits boxes designed to sit beneath sideboards or on the floor.
Makers of these items produced both austere rectangular wine cellarettes and elaborate Regency Neoclassical examples in oak or mahogany, occasionally following the design manner of noted architects.
How they were made
The primary material across these listings is mahogany, selected for its dense grain and rich tone, frequently paired with solid oak secondary timbers and brass bounds.
Joinery techniques involved sturdy box construction, often incorporating lead linings for water retention when used as wine coolers, alongside ornamental cast or chased ormolu mounts.
Antique Cellaret Box Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for cellaret box among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
The listings span from the eighteenth century into the twentieth century, with mahogany remaining the constant material choice across all periods.
What varies in quality
Quality rests upon the selection of timber figures in the mahogany and the crispness of brass or ormolu mounts rather than mere age alone.
Proportion and decorative restraint dictate the standing of a piece, distinguishing simple utilitarian storage boxes from finely detailed Regency Neoclassical examples.
The Antique Cellaret Box Glossary
- Cellaret
- A lockable box or cabinet designed for storing bottles of wine and spirits in the dining room. These vessels frequently stood on the floor beneath sideboards.
- Sarcophagus style
- A heavy, monumental furniture form tapering towards the base with pedimented lids, popular during the Regency period.
- Ormolu
- Gilded bronze mounts applied to furniture for decorative contrast. This technique was favoured in high-status Regency Neoclassical design.
- Campaign style
- Portable furniture made for travel, typically featuring recessed brass carrying handles and corner braces. Examples include mid-nineteenth-century variants.
Antique Cellaret Box: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an antique cellaret box?
An antique cellaret box is a specialised wooden container built to hold wine bottles and spirits securely in the dining room. They emerged as essential dining furniture during the Georgian and Regency eras.
These pieces range from octagonal floor-standing chests to sarcophagus-shaped coolers lined with lead to hold ice and water for chilling bottles.
How were cellaret boxes used?
These boxes were kept in the dining room, usually positioned under a sideboard, to store wine and spirits out of the reach of servants. Servants would fetch bottles from them as needed during dinner.
Some variants functioned as actual wine coolers, where bottles sat directly in ice water held within a lead-lined interior compartment.
How do I date a cellaret?
Dating relies heavily on wood species, construction methods, and stylistic cues such as hardware and feet. Georgian and 18th-century pieces often display understated mahogany framing and brass binding.
Later Regency pieces incorporate Neoclassical motifs, ormolu mounts, and architectural forms like the sarcophagus shape. Revival pieces from the twentieth century repeat these earlier vocabularies with modern internal joinery.
What woods were used?
Mahogany is the dominant timber seen across these listings, prized for its strength and deep colour. Oak and satinwood also appear as primary or secondary woods in specific pieces.
Brass and ormolu serve as the primary decorative metal additions for bands, handles, and mounts.