Coffee Pot thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Not currently on display at the V&A
On short term loan out for exhibition

Coffee Pot

about 1725
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

A pottery industry was well-established in Kütahya by the 17th century: there are references to 'cup makers' of Kütahya in 1608. In 1715 a French merchant, Paul Lucas, based in Istanbul sent to France a dozen coffee cups and saucers, bowls, two rosewater bottles, two salts and two writing sets. A ewer and basin in the Patriarchal collection in the church of St. James, Jerusalem, painted underglaze blue is inscribed with the date 1716.

Coffee has played a crucial role in many societies. The energizing effect of the coffee bean plant is thought to have been discovered in the northeast region of Ethiopia, and the cultivation of coffee first expanded in the Arab world. The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen in southern Arabia. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas.


Object details

Object type
Materials and techniques
Fritware, polychrome painted, glazed
Brief description
Coffee pot and cover, fritware, polychrome painted imitating embroidery, Turkey (Kütahya), about 1725.
Physical description
Coffee pot, fritware, pear-shaped with cylindrical neck and angular spout, loop handle, domed cover, painted in black, blue, red, yellow and green imitating textile designs, metal hinge.
Dimensions
  • Conversion height: 18.7cm
  • Diameter: 8.9cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
Circle with a cross in black
Gallery label
Mark circle with a cross painted in black TURKISH ( KUTAHIA) ; 18th Century Bought 599-1874
Summary
A pottery industry was well-established in Kütahya by the 17th century: there are references to 'cup makers' of Kütahya in 1608. In 1715 a French merchant, Paul Lucas, based in Istanbul sent to France a dozen coffee cups and saucers, bowls, two rosewater bottles, two salts and two writing sets. A ewer and basin in the Patriarchal collection in the church of St. James, Jerusalem, painted underglaze blue is inscribed with the date 1716.

Coffee has played a crucial role in many societies. The energizing effect of the coffee bean plant is thought to have been discovered in the northeast region of Ethiopia, and the cultivation of coffee first expanded in the Arab world. The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen in southern Arabia. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas.
Bibliographic references
  • John Carswell and C.J.F. Dowsett, Kütahya Tiles and Pottery from the Armenian Cathedral of St. James, Jerusalem, Vol. II. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972. p. 29, Fig. 11b.
  • Esin Atil, Turkish Art, Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press and New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1980. Illustration 169, p. 293
Collection
Accession number
599-1874

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Record createdNovember 7, 2003
Record URL
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