Teapot thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Teapot

July 1999 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The teapot was made on-stage during a performance by entertainer Johnny Vegas at the Ceramic Millennium conference in Amsterdam, 1999. It was thrown and assembled by Vegas in under 60 seconds as part of a challenge he set to potters Peter Starkey and Morgen Hall. The teapot was subsequently fired by Babs Haenen.

The teapot is often regarded as the most challenging of ceramic forms. Made up of several functional parts; body, spout, handle, lid and internal strainer, the teapot can be complicated to perfect if it is to be practical as well as aesthetic. Teapots can be hand-made by throwing or modelling each component part and then joining the parts together, as is common in studio ceramic practice. It is also possible to use moulding techniques, often employed by industry. Usually a combination of these methods is used to produce a particular shape or design.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Unglazed earthenware assembled from thrown sections
Brief description
Earthenware teapot made by Johnny Vegas, 1999
Physical description
Roughly formed unglazed earthenware teapot. The pot has been assembled from thrown sections. The lid has been fired attached to the body, and is inseparable. Unmarked.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12.0cm
  • Width: 17.5cm
  • Depth: 11.1cm
Marks and inscriptions
None
Credit line
Given by Johnny Vegas
Object history
The teapot was made on-stage during a performance by entertainer Johnny Vegas at the Ceramic Millennium conference in Amsterdam, 1999. It was thrown and assembled by Vegas in under 60 seconds as part of a challenge he set to potters Peter Starkey and Morgen Hall. The teapot was subsequently fired by Babs Haenen.
Production
Fired by Babs Haenen
Summary
The teapot was made on-stage during a performance by entertainer Johnny Vegas at the Ceramic Millennium conference in Amsterdam, 1999. It was thrown and assembled by Vegas in under 60 seconds as part of a challenge he set to potters Peter Starkey and Morgen Hall. The teapot was subsequently fired by Babs Haenen.

The teapot is often regarded as the most challenging of ceramic forms. Made up of several functional parts; body, spout, handle, lid and internal strainer, the teapot can be complicated to perfect if it is to be practical as well as aesthetic. Teapots can be hand-made by throwing or modelling each component part and then joining the parts together, as is common in studio ceramic practice. It is also possible to use moulding techniques, often employed by industry. Usually a combination of these methods is used to produce a particular shape or design.
Bibliographic reference
See Ceramics Collection Object Information File
Collection
Accession number
C.2-2000

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Record createdApril 11, 2000
Record URL
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