Images(2)

Teapot

Date1815-1825

Artist/Maker Thomas D. & Sherman Boardman

OriginAmerica, Connecticut, Hartford

MediumPewter

DimensionsOH: 7 15/16"; OL: 8 7/8"; Diam (base): 3 9/16"

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Foster McCarl, Jr.

Object number1991-646

DescriptionPyroform pewter teaport, with beaded decoration
Label TextConnecticut pewterers, in particular, produced large numbers of pear-shaped teapots, especially during the first half of the nineteenth century. Thomas D. and Sherman Boardman, the maker's of this teapot, had a large and thriving business. Thomas claimed at one point to have sold one of their many customers 3,000 teapots in a six-month period, many of which probably resembled this handsome example. Its inward-drawn cover and black-japanned cast handle and finial inset are nineteenth-century features. The persistent popularity of the pear shape for teapots in certain parts of the United States and in selected media qualifies this example to be an instance of baroque survival rather than revival.
InscribedNone
MarkingsTouch mark "TD&SB" within a rectangle on underside of base (Laughlin 428). Secondary mark a quality "X" stamped above touch mark on underside of base.
ProvenanceGift of Mr. and Mrs. Foster McCarl, Jr., Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.