{"product_id":"gold-finished-ceramic-decanter-with-moulded-star-relief-and-faceted-stopper-marked-liquor-bottle-to-the-base-american-c-1965-1985","title":"Gold-Finished Ceramic Decanter with Moulded Star Relief and Faceted Stopper, Marked LIQUOR BOTTLE to the Base, American, c. 1965–1985","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eA ceramic decanter finished in gold, moulded to imitate cut glass and doing it convincingly at any distance past arm’s length.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe body is ringed with \u003cstrong\u003eraised eight-point stars\u003c\/strong\u003e in relief, standing in for the star-cut decoration of a cut-crystal decanter, with \u003cstrong\u003emoulded rings\u003c\/strong\u003e banding the neck and shoulder. The \u003cstrong\u003estopper is a faceted ceramic knob\u003c\/strong\u003e, cut in flat planes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe whole surface carries a \u003cstrong\u003ewarm gold finish with fine craquelure\u003c\/strong\u003e throughout — a network of hairlines across the gold that reads as age rather than damage, and gives the flat planes something to catch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe underside is moulded with a \u003cstrong\u003eraised star\u003c\/strong\u003e inside a beaded ring, and stamped around it: \u003cstrong\u003eLIQUOR BOTTLE\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThose two words on the base are a date, and a more precise one than the object looks capable of carrying.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eFrom 1935 to 1964, American liquor bottles were required by federal law to be marked \u003cem\u003eFEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR RE-USE OF THIS BOTTLE\u003c\/em\u003e — a post-Prohibition measure intended to stop bottles being refilled with moonshine. Glass factories also carried a Liquor Bottle Permit Number issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, usually cast into the base beside a date code.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis decanter does not carry the federal-law wording.\u003c\/strong\u003e It carries the shorter \u003cstrong\u003eLIQUOR BOTTLE\u003c\/strong\u003e marking that replaced it after 1964 — and which appears particularly on \u003cstrong\u003eceramic decanters and specialty bottles\u003c\/strong\u003e produced in the decades that followed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eSo the base tells you two things at once: \u003cstrong\u003eafter 1964\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eceramic rather than glass\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnd ceramic decanters were an industry.\u003c\/strong\u003e Through the later 1960s and the 1970s American distillers sold spirits in moulded ceramic bottles by the million — figural, commemorative, and, as here, imitating cut glass. The bottle was half the purchase; people kept them long after the contents were gone, which is why so many survive empty and why this one still has its stopper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe decanter carries \u003cstrong\u003eno maker’s name or distiller’s mark\u003c\/strong\u003e and is offered \u003cstrong\u003eunattributed\u003c\/strong\u003e. Dated on the base marking and the moulded ceramic construction: \u003cstrong\u003ec. 1965–1985\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMoulded ceramic decanter with faceted stopper\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApproximately 11 in tall with the stopper in place\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTapering body ringed with raised eight-point stars, moulded rings to the neck and shoulder, faceted ceramic stopper, moulded foot with a raised star and beaded ring to the underside\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFinish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarm gold over ceramic, with fine craquelure throughout\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMarks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStamped to the base: LIQUOR BOTTLE. No maker’s name or distiller’s mark. Offered unattributed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ec. 1965–1985. The LIQUOR BOTTLE marking replaced the 1935–1964 federal-law wording after 1964 and appears particularly on ceramic decanters of the following decades.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGood, and complete with its original stopper — which is what usually goes missing. The ceramic body is sound and stands level, the moulded star relief is crisp, and the stopper seats correctly. \u003cstrong\u003eThe gold finish is crackled throughout\u003c\/strong\u003e, with \u003cstrong\u003eareas of discolouration and some loss at the neck rings and around the base edge\u003c\/strong\u003e where the surface has been handled. This is a decorative finish showing its age and it is stated in full. No chips to the ceramic, no cracks, no repairs. \u003cstrong\u003eSold as a decorative object — see below.\u003c\/strong\u003e Condition Guaranteed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOne of a Kind — 1 Available\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eWhy It Belongs in Your Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe bar cart is the one place in a house where tall gold objects are simply correct.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eAt eleven inches this has real presence, and gold against dark wood, brass, smoked glass and amber bottles is the whole visual language of a good drinks setup. It reads as expensive from across a room, which is precisely what it was designed to do.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBuy it for the silhouette, not the close-up.\u003c\/strong\u003e The star relief and the faceted stopper give it a cut-crystal outline that carries at distance; the crackled gold gives it a worn, slightly theatrical surface that a shiny new object cannot fake. It is an honest piece of stage dressing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eIt also stands in for something people want and rarely find: height on a bar cart that is not another bottle. A shelf of bottles is all the same shape and roughly the same size. One tall gold column breaks that up and makes the rest look arranged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eIt works elsewhere, too — a mantel end, a bookshelf, a console beside a lamp — anywhere a vertical gold accent earns its place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eAnd the stopper being present matters more than it sounds. Most surviving decanters of this era lost theirs decades ago, and a decanter without a stopper is a vase pretending.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA note on use, and it is the important one. Do not put anything in it that you intend to drink.\u003c\/strong\u003e This is a mid-century moulded ceramic vessel with a decorative metallic finish, of unknown composition and no food-safety certification. It is a display object now.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo not wash it and never put it in a dishwasher.\u003c\/strong\u003e Water will get under a crackled gold finish and lift it, and detergent will take the rest. A dry soft cloth, lightly, and nothing else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eDo not polish it. There is no metal underneath to bring up — polish simply abrades the gold away and leaves bare ceramic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eKeep it dry and out of direct sun, and lift it by the body rather than the stopper.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48047805661289,"sku":"VE-0770","price":95.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/5ED8BD3B-522E-43C1-8484-F7299E979632.jpg?v=1789319799","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/gold-finished-ceramic-decanter-with-moulded-star-relief-and-faceted-stopper-marked-liquor-bottle-to-the-base-american-c-1965-1985","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}