With the introduction of tea into England in the middle part of the seventeenth century a whole host of objects in silver to serve and store the new beverage grew up.
Although a silver teapot was presented in 1670 to the East India Company, the earliest teapots in silver are only to be found in the Queen Anne period (1702-1714). In fact the oldest teapot we have ever sold was actually of provincial origin and made in 1705 by Francis Batty of Newcastle.
The earliest teapots were relatively small often of a pear shape or what is known as a ‘bullet’ ( rounded shape). They were reasonably small as in 1720 the East India Company were importing Chinese tea for 24 shillings a pound (about £300 today).
The middle eighteenth century saw the introduction of larger rococo examples but it was really only by the 1770’s that tea drinking really came to the fore and it was about this time that it seems to have superseded coffee in popularity. The teapots tend to be of oval shape with a few drum shape examples some with a teapot stand ( a small salver) and often with very fine engraving. By the early nineteenth century teapots generally became much larger as the price of tea was now far lower (Indian tea was now making its presence) and the styles became much more varied.
William Walter Antiques has a large and extensive selection of the finest teapots for sale.
