A LONDON DELFTWARE BLUE AND WHITE DATED WINE BOTTLE 1647 |

inscribed CLARET above the date 1647 and a flourish.

Joseph V. Vizcarra Collection, Chicago, July, 1976
Vogel Collection no. 247

Typical occasional chipping to the edges of the footrim and crazing aoverall. There is old restoration covering the upper half of the body including the neck and the handle possibly covering a break.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Most 17th-century wine bottles are inscribed with the type of the wine and a date followed by a flourish. According to Michael Archer, Delftware, The Tin-glazed Earthenware of the British Isles, London, 1997, p. 266, 'Claret' had assumed the meaning of any type of wine by 1600, although most of the consumption in England at the time came from Bordeaux. Archer illustrates a similar wine bottle of the same date, ibid., cat. no. E8, p. 270, where he quotes its previous owner in the 19th century, Lady Charlotte Schreiber: '..first to Aked's where I had the great good fortune to find one of the Lambeth Wine bottles marked "Claret". I already possessed the "Whit-Wine" and "Sack" - so this makes my set complete." It is interesting to note the transition of the wine bottles from being used as functional objects in the 17th century to having a rather more decorative purpose as expressed in Lady Schreiber's need to complete her "set."