Description: Silver apple-shaped teapot (unmarked) with a rounded finial over a steeped cover; straight tapered spout; C-scrolled wooden handle attached with two cylindrical, seamed handle sockets; and molded rim around the flat base, which is inscribed "IN [conjoined] To his best Child / 1704" on the side of the body. While the inscription and the size of the teapot suggest that it is a miniature, it may have been used for the brewing and service of strong and expensive teas, such as saffron tea. The spout is too crudely executed for London, but similar examples are known in the West Country of England and Scotland. The Connecticut silversmith Benjamin Wynkoop, Jr. (1705-1766) made several larger teapots of the same form, including one now at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass.
Link to share this object record: https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+55.454 |