Victorian Cobalt Blue Glass Brandy Decanter with Gilt Decoration

A highly decorative Victorian cobalt blue glass Brandy decanter, retaining a possibly later replacement stopper.

The decanter is of elegant bottle form, with a rounded shoulder, tapering neck and distinctive applied neck rings. The body is decorated in gilt with the word Brandy within a foliate cartouche. The rich cobalt blue colour gives the piece strong display appeal, while the surviving gilt lettering and ornament identify it as a nineteenth-century spirit decanter intended for use on a sideboard, dining table or drinks tray.

Cobalt blue and Bristol blue glass decanters were especially popular from the late Georgian period through the nineteenth century, commonly used for spirits including brandy, rum, gin, Hollands and whisky. Named examples are generally more desirable than plain blue decanters, particularly where the gilded spirit label remains legible.

The stopper is present and matches the colour well, but given its form and fit it is safest to describe it as possibly later rather than original.

Comparable cobalt and Bristol blue spirit decanters are represented in specialist glass-dealer stock and auction records. Early nineteenth-century named Bristol blue examples with original stoppers command stronger prices, while later Victorian or replacement-stopper examples generally occupy a more modest decorative market. I have not identified a separately recorded institutional example of this exact decanter.

Condition: Very good condition.

Possibly later replacement stopper present. Gilt Brandy lettering and foliate decoration remain attractive, with some expected age-related rubbing. Light handling wear. No obvious cracks visible from the photographs.

Date: c.1850–1880
Height: Approximately 22.8 cm including stopper
Material: Cobalt blue glass with gilt decoration
Construction: Blown glass decanter with applied neck rings and stopper

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