A William IV sterling silver teapot, London 1833 by John Bridge

A William IV sterling silver teapot, London 1833 by John Bridge

Modelled after a Chinese Yixing Zisha ware teapot, of moulded ‘gourd’ form with a short, curved spout opposite a C scroll handle fitted with ivory insulators pinned to sockets. The flat hinged lid surmounted by a detachable lobed finial. The side engraved with a crest of a sun in splendour with traces of a motto above. Fully marked behind handle, the lid part-marked to flange and part-marks to retaining nut of finial only.

Length – 21.5 cm / 8.5 inches

Weight – 601 grams / 19.32 ozt

For further reading on the influence of Yixing wares on English silver teapots see Kaellgren, P. (2010) Chinese Yixing stoneware teapots as a source of English silver design 1675-1830, The Journal of the Silver Society, Number 26, p. 50-57.