Images(6)

Teapot

Date1759-1760

Marked by William Shaw II & William Priest (active 1749-1763)

OriginEngland, London

MediumSilver (Sterling); wood

DimensionsOH 6 7/8"; OW 10 1/4"; Diam (body) 5 7/8" Diam (base) 3 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1963-138

DescriptionCast finial of a rose in full bloom on stem with bud and five leaves attached by nut and bolt top of domed cover with high-chased floral decoration; cover with flat hinge inset into top of inverted pear-shaped body; body elaborately relief-chased with scene within scrolls on one side of two Chinese figures seated at a table drinking tea with a third figure of a boy bringing additional tea from a nearby building and scene within scrolls on opposite side of two seated Chinese figures flanking a shell and scroll cartouche; body further decorated with various relief-chased scroll, shell and floral motifs; scroll wooden handle with grip; the upper handle socket ornamented with acanthus leaf and the lower one plain; curved spout cast in two parts with acanthus tip and a stylized scrolled shell on lower section near join with body; body supported on splayed base with a relief-chased band of scroll and floral decoration.
Label TextDuring the middle decades of the eighteenth century, inverted pear-shaped teapots—sometimes referred to as “double bellied,”—displaced globular-shaped examples. This visually unstable form was typical of rococo fashion and was used for a number of other hollowware articles, such as coffeepots, kettles, cream pots, and casters. At the same time, discrete engraved borders gave way to profuse scrolls and naturalistic high-relief chasing. Chinoiserie elements often appear intermingled with rococo ornament, as seen on this teapot.
InscribedEngraved weight 24"2" on base
MarkingsMarked in relief on base 1) sponsor's "W•S" with "W" above and "P" below in block letter within a cruciform reserve [Grimwade 1990 # 3335]; 2) leopard's head crowned; 3) lion passant; 4) and date letter "D" in Gothic script for 1759-60

Also marked with lion passant on leaf of finial, on nut securing finial, and on interior of cover
ProvenanceMrs. Nellie Ionides (sold at Sotheby & Co., London, 1963)
Vendor: Garrard & Co., Ltd., London