Derby Teapot, Oval Straight Sided with Gilded Decoration and
Straight Spout, Pattern Number 466, c1790
(p978)
A rare and beautifully elegant Derby teapot dating from c1790.
This delightful teapot is in very good condition too, which is also quite rare.
The teapot is of a straight sided oval shape, with straight tapering spout,
angular moulded handle and oval drop in lid with loop finial. The teapot is
clearly marked on the base with the underglaze puce crown and cross baton mark,
used at the Derby factory c1782-1800. It also has the pattern number 466. This
straight sided oval teapot with its neoclassical gilt decoration would date from
c1790.
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The simplicity of the neo-classical gilt design, in its very
rich honey colour is in an amazingly crisp state, with only the merest rubbing
to one tiny area of the teapot's shoulder and spout tip, (see condition report
below).
The oval shape in ceramic teapots is not a common one and came
from following the shape of silver teapots in the last quarter of the eighteenth
century. As with a silver teapot, the spout copies the straight tapering design.
Even the angular shaped handle has like a gilt stud moulded into the base
portion as if to secure the base of the handle to the body of the teapot. This
is a fine attention to detail.
The main body is decorated with a gilt draped swag border, the
bottom scalloped edge of which has tiny dentil gilding. Below this border are a
row of gilded stars running around the teapot.
On the shoulder of the teapot there is a thick gilt line, and
another such line runs around the lid recess. Between these two gilded lines are
yet another line of gilded stars around the shoulder of the teapot.
The drop in oval lid is decorated in the same fashion as the
teapot, with the gilded draped swaged border and an oval of gilded stars.
The elegant finial to the lid is in the form of an oval open
gilded loop. The loop terminates with a moulded and gilded leaf design tying the
finial nicely to the lid of the teapot.
The lid has a small circular hole to allow the steam from the
hot tea to escape.
The tapering straight spout, like the teapot, is very
beautifully decorated in a rich gilt design of foliage up the front face of the
spout and down the back edge of the spout too. A dentil gilt line ties the spout
to the teapot's body.
On either side of the spout, there is an elegant gilded flower
head.
The handle of the teapot is of an unusual angular shape with a
scrolling thumb piece at the top to help with the grip of the teapot.
The edges of the handle are gilded and down the back flat edge
of the handle is a line of gilded foliage. Within the top face of the kinked
handle is more gilt work, a line of diminishing sized dots between two wavy
lines. It is a rare shaped handle to find often a china teapot, but a design
that was used at Derby in the late eighteenth century.
Removing the lid shows an elongated hexagonal pot mouth and
shows the straining holes into the spout.
This is a rare and extremely elegant Derby Teapot. It is
exquisitely decorated in a light neo-classical design, reflecting the silver
shaped teapots of this period. This remarkable Derby teapot dates from c1790
Size
and Weight: (values are approximate)
Marks:
The teapot carries
the underglaze puce crown and cross baton mark, used at the Derby factory
c1782-1800. This straight sided oval teapot with its neoclassical gilt
decoration would date from c1790.
This magnificent Derby teapot is in extremely good condition, with no chips,
cracks, repairs or restoration. The only extremely minor imperfections is a tiny
area on the teapots shoulder where there is a tiny bit of wear to the gilded
line and another tiny tiny bit of gilding missing on the tip of the spout.
these little areas of wear really are insignificant.
On the loop handle, there looks like a tiny area where there has not been
glaze applied before it was gilded. This does not show, but I thought it worth a
mention as in the pictures it may appear to be re-gilded, but I do not believe
this is the case, I think it to be original.
This is certainly a very handsome and elegant derby teapot that would be a
fine addition to a collection of derby or early English porcelain for the
collector.
