Cellaret or Bottle Case on Stand
Exceptionally Fine Carved Brackets, Rich, Early Surface & Proportions
Walnut with yellow pine
Eastern North Carolina – probably Bertie County
Unknown maker
Circa 1790
20.5” W; 16” D; 41” H
Much more commonly found in the southern colonies or states than north of the Mason Dixon, the bottle case on stand, known variously as a cellaret, gin or brandy case, evolved from the British “temporary cellar”; a specialized furniture form generally intended for use in a dining room. When depleted, the case with bottles could be carried to the cellar for refill where wines and liquors were stored in barrels and return to the dining area. (Southern Furniture Cat. 160). Their use in entertaining in more formal “public” areas of southern homes required that cellarets be finely crafted and decorated with inlays, veneers and choice woods. Cellarets are among the most iconic southern forms are rarely survive with their structural integrity intact, no doubt due to the weight of their liquid contents, damage from spillage and frequent use.
This cellaret was almost certainly made in the same shop as another example with a history in Bertie County, NC, recorded by MESDA field researchers as S-4190. The bracket carving is virtually identical as are the dimensions and most construction details such as the “closed” or “blind” dovetailing of the case corners.
