William IV Antique Silver Wine Label 'Marcella'
TAYLOR & PERRY, Birmingham 1836
Photo 1 of 4
A rare William IV die-stamped silver Wine Label of shaped rectangular form with border of shells, scrolls and acanthus leaves, incised for Marcella. (Probably a misspelling of Marsala).
By Taylor & Perry, Birmingham, 1836
Sold - £225.00
Condition
In good condition with no damage or repair
Dimensions
H
37 mm
(1.46 inches)
W
53 mm
(2.09 inches)
Weight
13.00 Grams
(0.42 troy ounces)
Country
England
Stock Code
JSWL146
Medium
Silver
Literature
The family of Woodhouse started to revive Sicily's wine industry in the 1770's and introduced Marsala to this country in 1773, but no labels with the name are known before the end of the century. The popularity that it then gained undoubtedly owed much to Admiral Lord Nelson. He had large quantities bought for the Fleet and it found fame in England as a consequence. In 1799 Nelson was created Duke of Bronte by the King of Naples in recognition of his delivery of Sicily from Napoleon. Bronte was adopted by the Woodhouse firm as a name for their Marsala Wine and used to market it for the first half of the 19th century. Marsala is sometimes spelled with an 'e' and sometimes with an 'i' and it has many variants including Marcella or Marseilla. Penzer considers these more likely to be variants of Marsala than to refer to some local wine from the Marseilles area in France.
