Portuguese Silver Plated Tantalus with Cut Glass Bottles

• Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
  
  Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.
• Tantalus - A tantalus is a container for holding two or three glass or crystal bottles of alchoholic drinks. A tantalus may take various forms, the most common being made from silver, silver plate or wood with the three bottles in a circle or two bottles in line with a central handle. A larger version has three bottles in a line with two end supports and a horizontal top and handle. To prevent unauthorised access, some tantalus have a locking mecahnism that prevents the bottles and stoppers being removed from the bottles when secured.
  
  A box tantalus, as the name implies is an elaborate wooden box made of a fancy timber such as coramandel, with divisions for the bottles and a lockable lid. Some of these type are designed for liquers and include the liquer glasses set into fitted holders.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• tantalus (decanter sets) - silver plate items 127