Teapot

Dateca. 1735

MediumHard-paste porcelain

DimensionsHeight: 5 1/8 inches

Credit LineGift of Murray F. Nimmo

Object number2013-143,A&B

DescriptionPear shaped Chinese porcelain teapot molded with peony petals and decorated with translucent enamels and gilding. Three small geese are painted on each side. Period replaced silver spout, mount for its mended lid, and chain.

Label TextJust as dishes do today, 18th-century ones broke through use and carelessness. Historic repairs are found on Chinese porcelain. Valued for its beauty and its exotic connection with Asia, Chinese porcelain was kept and handed down, even when mended. Examples of period inventories include objects like those left to the next generation by General Thomas Nelson: “three blue and white china bowls, not sound, three enameled china bowls, one cracked.” Repairs were made with a variety of materials, including glue, wire or metal rivets, and even pieces of other dishes. Metalsmiths frequently doubled as china menders. Repairs often served a dual purpose, extending the life of an object while increasing its value, as seen in this teapot fitted with a silver spout, a mount for its mended lid, and a chain.
ProvenanceMurray F. Nimmo

Exhibition(s)