Research

Of mahogany with original zinc liner.  The heavily gadrooned plain turned body with everted rim rests upon a massive turned socle supported by a plain square plinth.

The Regency predilection to adapt classical elements into the design of furniture and decorative objects can be seen in this large mahogany wine cooler, which draws its inspiration from the forms of antiquity, taking the shape of a classical urn, in this case a compressed campana vase. Campana is the Italian word for bell, and both the name and form derive from Greek kraters which were carved in an inverted bell-shape, in many cases with a gadrooned underbody.

Wood cisterns with a metal liners first came into use circa 1730 and took a variety of forms  including ancient campana urns and sarcophagi. Used for chilling wine in ice, they are frequently mentioned in the household inventories of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, along with household accounts listing charges for cartage and labor for filling ice houses.Wine coolers were usually intended to be placed on the floor between the paired legs of a neoclassical dining room sideboard. Such large examples are rare, being made for large-scale grand schemes like those at the estates of Althorp, Castle Howard and, most elaborately, at Harewood House (figure 1).