Rare Late 19th Century French Copper Barrel Topping Can

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A rare French pouring can designed to top off barrels in the cellar while they age. The long neck is … Read more A rare French pouring can designed to top off barrels in the cellar while they age. The long neck is to allow for reach to a back row of barrels and the socket near the end was designed to hold a candle so that the opening to the barrel could be seen in a dark cellar. It is made of copper with brass fittings, the bottom has an iron ring that holds the bottom of the can off the floor. It bears a brass makers stamp which reads, "Fournitures De Chais & Caves, G Pepin Fils Aine, Rue Notre Dame 110, Bordeaux". This company was one of the most famous makers of equipment for the wine and spirits industry in France at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. This can could well be a single surviving example. It is in very good condition and has been recently polished. It was found near Beaune, the capital of Burgundy. See less