Teapot thumbnail 1
Teapot thumbnail 2
+1
images

Teapot

1879 (designed), ca. 1879 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Because tea is made by infusing dried tea leaves in boiling water, the handle of the teapot is often made of wood or some other organic material to prevent it from becoming too hot.

Design & Designing
Christopher Dresser designed utilitarian objects for the general public, making full use of the latest techniques of mass production, and he is therefore often regarded as the 'father of industrial design'. His most innovative designs were for objects to be made in metal. Unlike his designs for ceramics and glass, which often resemble plant forms in their shape, ornamentation or colouring, his designs for metalwork objects tend to be fully abstracted from their organic source. He frequently employed symmetrical, rectilinear shapes and undecorated surfaces. This design appears in the costing book of James Dixon & Sons for 1879 as design no. 2277 and is described as 'English Japanese', pointing to the Japanese influence in some of Dresser's most radical metalwork designs.

Trading
Dresser was a prolific worker and produced designs for numerous manufacturers, including Hukin & Heath (about 1878-1890s), Elkingtons (about 1875-1888) and James Dixon & Sons (about 1879-1890s). Some of his designs were considered too ahead of their time to go into production, and six exist only as prototypes.

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
read An A–Z of metalwork With a collection as vast and varied as Metalwork at the V&A, where do you begin? Here's an alphabetical run-down of some beautiful, quirky, ingenious, dangerous and, quite frankly, scary objects to get you started. 

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Electroplated nickel silver, ebonised wooden handle
Brief description
Electroplate with ebony handle, made by James Dixon and Sons, ca.1879, designed by Christopher Dresser, 1879. Marks: facsimile signature "Ch. Dresser", J.D. & S. and 2277.
Physical description
Teapot of electroplated nickel silver with an ebonised, wooden handle.

The body, a hemisphere with a flat circular base supported on six, squat peg feet equidistantly spaced. The spout, a tapered cone rising at an angle from the lower front of the body. The lid, slightly domed, following the curvature of the body is hinged at the rear and surmounted by a globular knop. The handle, an ebomised wooden rod is set at an angle to the body; at each end encircled by a metal collar, the upper is attached to a tubular hoop, set at a 45 degree angle to the body and is attached to either side of it by a spreading foot, the lower support for the handle is a straight, tubular rod.
Dimensions
  • Height: 13cm
  • Length: 22.8cm
  • Width: 13cm
Marks and inscriptions
Stamped with a facsmile signature, "Ch. Dresser", marked EP and J.D. & S. for James Dixon and Sons and the number 2277
Credit line
Given by Andrew McIntosh Patrick
Object history
Silver City Exhibition RF.2006/131
Historical context
Andrew McIntosh Patrick was the Managing Director of the Fine Art Society, 148 New Bond Street, London W1Y 0JT for 30 years until 2005. Between 1972 and 2005, he acquired a collection of metalwork designed by Dr. Christopher Dresser of approximately 50 pieces which until the sale of his collection by the Edinburgh auctioneers, Lyon & Turnbull on April 19, 2005, was the most distinguished collection of such material in either a public or private collection.
Summary
Object Type
Because tea is made by infusing dried tea leaves in boiling water, the handle of the teapot is often made of wood or some other organic material to prevent it from becoming too hot.

Design & Designing
Christopher Dresser designed utilitarian objects for the general public, making full use of the latest techniques of mass production, and he is therefore often regarded as the 'father of industrial design'. His most innovative designs were for objects to be made in metal. Unlike his designs for ceramics and glass, which often resemble plant forms in their shape, ornamentation or colouring, his designs for metalwork objects tend to be fully abstracted from their organic source. He frequently employed symmetrical, rectilinear shapes and undecorated surfaces. This design appears in the costing book of James Dixon & Sons for 1879 as design no. 2277 and is described as 'English Japanese', pointing to the Japanese influence in some of Dresser's most radical metalwork designs.

Trading
Dresser was a prolific worker and produced designs for numerous manufacturers, including Hukin & Heath (about 1878-1890s), Elkingtons (about 1875-1888) and James Dixon & Sons (about 1879-1890s). Some of his designs were considered too ahead of their time to go into production, and six exist only as prototypes.
Bibliographic references
  • Halén, Widar Christopher Dresser, London, Phaidon - Christie's, 1990, p.182. ill. ISBN 0714880582
  • Whiteway, Michael and Morello, Augusto eds.Christopher Dresser 1834-1904, Milan, Skira, 2001 p.102. ill. ISBN 8884911028
  • Whiteway, Michael ed. The Shock of the Old, Christopher Dresser's Design Revolution, New York, Smithsonian, Cooper-Hewitt in association with V&A Publications, 2004, p.158. ill. ISBN 0810966603
  • Whiteway, Michael, ed. Christopher Dresser, A Design Revolution, London, Victoria and Albert Museum, 2004, p.158. ill. ISBN 18517744289
Collection
Accession number
M.6-2006

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMay 12, 2006
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest