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Silver from the Collection of Jimmy Weldon
5 AN IRISH GEORGE III BRANDY SAUCEPAN, DUBLIN C.1795,mark of Joseph Jackson, of plain design with ebon turned handle, (c.373g all in). 11.5cm diameter
€ 1,200 - 1,500
In the words of Samuel Johnson,‘claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy’.
Brandy was first discovered by the Dutch, their word for burnt wine, brandewijn, soon becoming anglicised to the word that we
know today. Its strong flavour and alcoholic content aided its success and it found its way into the social gatherings of Georgian
men. By heating the brandy, a sense of occasion and pomp could be brought to its consumption.With the display over, the
warmed brandy caused the alcohol to begin to evaporate, the vapour rising up to be inhaled by its drinker.This, in turn, would
lead to looser tongues, more heated debates and a soiree to be remembered (or not, depending on whether the flow of drink
found its limit...).
1795:The National Botanic Gardens opened by the Royal Dublin Society.