Tantalus (bottle holder)
A Tantalus is a lockable support frame for bottles or carafes. The bottle holder consists of a housing made of wood or metal, in which two or three carafes for drinks have space. The housing can be locked, which prevents unauthorized persons from using the alcoholic beverages in the carafes.
The term Tantalus refers to the mythological figure Tantalus , who was punished by the gods for being hungry and thirsty forever.
function
The purpose of a tantalum is, on the one hand, to prevent unauthorized persons - especially servants, children and young people - from using the alcoholic, mostly high-proof beverages that are in the carafes, while on the other hand, the drinks can be presented in an attractive way. Usually a Tantalus offers space for two to three carafes and is elaborately processed, made of fine wood or other valuable material, with silver or gold fittings; the carafes themselves are mostly made of crystal .
history
The original patent for the Tantalus dates back to 1881 (UK Patent 58948) and goes back to the cabinet maker George Betjemann, whose ancestors probably immigrated from Lower Saxony. Betjemann & Sons ran a workshop at Pentonville Road 34 - 42 in London from 1860 . The workshops, in which more than 100 employees worked, were later continued by his son George William, who never married because he was "married" to his work.
Only a few cases made by Betjemann have survived; the few that are left fetch high prices of several thousand dollars at auctions. An original Tantalus from Betjemann has a copper or silver stamp plate that confirms its authenticity. Later models, although completely different in style and not made of wood and also not made in the Pentonville workshops, are still referred to as Betjemann Tantalus .
Others
George Betjemann was the grandfather of the poet John Betjeman , who in his work Summoned by Bells described the invention of tantalus as the source of family wealth.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Pullman, the Magazine of the Pullman Gallery. (PDF) pullmangallery.com, December 31, 2008, p. 5 , accessed on October 26, 2014 (English).
- ↑ The Bethemann Pedigree - I. tiscali.co.uk, accessed on October 26, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Survey of London: Volume 47: Northern Clerkenwell and Pentonville. English Heritage , 2008, pp. 339–372 , accessed October 26, 2014 (English).
- ↑ George Betjemann & Sons. Antique Box Guide, accessed October 26, 2014 .
- ↑ Antique Betjemann Tantalus. (No longer available online.) In: en.wikicollecting.org. May 17, 2012, archived from the original on February 21, 2014 ; accessed on October 28, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ John Betjeman: Summoned By Bells . Ed .: John Murray. 1960, p. 10 ( online - quote = "And stockrooms heavy with the Tantalus / on which the family fortune had been made.").
