French marquetry tantalus travelling liquor chest, c. 1850,…

• Amaranth / Purpleheart / Palisander - Amaranth, also called "purpleheart" and palisander is a hardwood obtained flowering plants in tropical regions of Central and South America, where they grow in rainforests. When the trees are cut, the timber turns from a dark brown to a rich purple colour. It is mainly used for veneering and decorative features on furniture, and is extremely dense when dry.
• Tantalus - A tantalus is a container for holding two or three glass or crystal bottles of alchoholic drinks. A tantalus may take various forms, the most common being made from silver, silver plate or wood with the three bottles in a circle or two bottles in line with a central handle. A larger version has three bottles in a line with two end supports and a horizontal top and handle. To prevent unauthorised access, some tantalus have a locking mecahnism that prevents the bottles and stoppers being removed from the bottles when secured.
  
  A box tantalus, as the name implies is an elaborate wooden box made of a fancy timber such as coramandel, with divisions for the bottles and a lockable lid. Some of these type are designed for liquers and include the liquer glasses set into fitted holders.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• liqueur (liquor) sets 64
• tantalus (decanter sets) 8