Decanter Stand

Decanter stands served as coasters for glass wine bottles in order to protect the extremely expensive and fragile linen tablecloths they sat upon. This example contains depictions of large grape vines and youthful figures that evoke the Roman god of wine, Bacchus (or Dionysus in Greek mythology). One of the young boys grasps an empty drinking vessel while the other leans against a panther, the frequent companion of Bacchus.