This bucket-shaped object is a cooler for bottles of wine. Originally, it had a liner which was filled with ice that would surround and chill a single bottle. It is part of a very large dinner service, which could serve 72 people. It is made of silver, an expensive material, which indicates that it was made for someone wealthy and important – in this case, no less a person than King George III of England, who needed a service for state banquets. It was made at a time when a grand dinner was run almost like a theatrical performance. It was not considered polite to set glasses on the table in the 18th-century, so diners needed to catch a footman's (waiter) eye when they wanted a drink, then a glass would be brought to them on a salver, they would have to drink immediately and set the glass back on the salver to be taken away to be rinsed.

The design of the wine cooler tells us a lot about its function. Although the shape is simple, it is decorated with magnificent goats' heads and garlands of vine leaves and grapes. These are all references to the Roman god of wine, Bacchus, who rode on a goat and whose followers, the wild Bacchantes, wore garlands of vines in their hair.

 

The wine cooler was made in France, which was rare for this period because much of it was melted down during the French Revolution. This, and the fact that it was made for a King, make the cooler of great interest to collectors.