Vintage Reed & Barton Silver Wine Caddy

A remarkable piece of vintage American hotel silver by Reed & Barton, this substantial wine caddy was produced for the Congress Hotel Company and carries its original hotel designation to the underside. Designed to cradle a bottle horizontally for service, the piece features an exceptionally decorative pierced lattice body, scrolling foliate ornament, sculptural raised handle, crest-like central motif and four petite feet. Its wonderfully elaborate form feels almost architectural—a far cry from ordinary wine service and an extraordinary survivor from the golden age of grand hotel entertaining.

CONDITION
Beautiful vintage condition with surface wear, scratching and patina consistent with decades of commercial service and age. These signs of use are part of the character and history of authentic hotel silver.

PROVENANCE
Produced by Reed & Barton for the Congress Hotel Company. The underside retains its original commercial markings reading “REED & BARTON / SILVER SOLDERED / 0117-H / CONGRESS HOTEL CO. / 9-11,” along with an additional hand-inscribed A31 inventory mark.

MAKER
Reed & Barton, Taunton, Massachusetts. Founded in 1824, Reed & Barton became one of America’s important silver manufacturers and produced substantial silver-soldered wares for the hotel and hospitality trade.

MATERIAL
Silver-soldered hotel ware; a heavy-duty silver-plated construction.

WHY WE LOVE THIS
The provenance makes this one. Beyond being an extraordinarily handsome way to present a bottle, it is a surviving piece of America’s grand hotel tradition—made by Reed & Barton specifically for the Congress Hotel Company and still carrying the marks of its working life underneath. The elaborate pierced silverwork and wonderfully sculptural handle give it tremendous presence on a bar or dining table. Fill it with a favorite bottle and it immediately delivers that collected, old-club, Ralph Lauren kind of luxury we love at Martingale East.