TP49 thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Metalware, Room 116, The Belinda Gentle Gallery

TP49

Teapot
2004 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The designer, Robert Foster, gave this teapot a circular handle to emphasise the action of pouring, and placed the handle and spout off-centre. This, says Foster, enabled the ‘simple geometric forms to create a dynamic but harmonious dialogue’. He made the body of the teapot by pressing rectangular aluminium tubing into a tapered form and then coloured it by anodisation, using electricity.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleTP49 (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Aluminium, drop forged, anodised and polished, acrylic handle
Brief description
Aluminium, forged and anodized, acrylic lid, designed and made by Robert Foster, Queanbeyan (nr. Canberra, ACT) New South Wales, Australia, 2004.
Physical description
Teapot, the body of anodized aluminium, polished black, flat sides which all taper towards the top. The top, flat with a flat, polished black acrylic lid, half moulded end and is hinged by a horizontal steel pin which pass through the side walls of the body. The flat base is TIG welded to the side walls. The handle is a circular section of aluminium tube, brush finished and anodized a deep, rich blue and the spout, a short section of tube of identical diameter passes through the handle and is parallel to the base. The spout was also given a brushed finished before being anodized a gold colour. The handle and spout are bolted on from the inside and are insulated with heat resistant washers to seal and prevent the transfer of heat to these components.
Dimensions
  • Height: 29.2cm
  • Length: 25.5cm
  • Maximum width: 6.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
Incised with cross on the base (maker's mark).
Gallery label
Gallery 116: Belinda Gentle Metalware Gallery 2. TEAPOT Anodised aluminium, with acrylic Canberra, Australia, 2004 Designed and made by Robert Foster (1962-2016) Incised with cross on the base (maker's mark) The designer gave this teapot a circular handle to emphasise the action of pouring, and placed the handle and spout off-centre. This, says Foster, enabled the 'simple geometric forms to create a dynamic but harmonious dialogue'. He made the body of the teapot by pressing rectangular aluminium tubing into a tapered form and then coloured it by anodisation, using electricity. Museum no. M.2-2006(10/01/2007)
Historical context
This teapot was purchased from the Scottish Gallery stand at the COLLECT exhibition, organised by the Crafts Council, Victoria and Albert Museum, 09/02/2006 - 13/02/2006.
Summary
The designer, Robert Foster, gave this teapot a circular handle to emphasise the action of pouring, and placed the handle and spout off-centre. This, says Foster, enabled the ‘simple geometric forms to create a dynamic but harmonious dialogue’. He made the body of the teapot by pressing rectangular aluminium tubing into a tapered form and then coloured it by anodisation, using electricity.
Bibliographic reference
Merryn Gates ed. Robert Foster Critical Play, Lyneham, ACT, (Australia), SFA Press, 2013, p..53. ill. ISBN: 9780980B23356
Collection
Accession number
M.2-2006

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Record createdMay 4, 2006
Record URL
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