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Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Coffee Pot

1681-1682 (hallmarked)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
London (made)

Object Type
The coffee pot was one of a series of new vessels developed by European silversmiths for the imported drinks of tea, coffee and chocolate. A tapered cylindrical form was originally used for both coffee and chocolate, but the earliest known silver teapot, dated to 1670, is also of this shape (museum no. M.399-1921). By the 18th century the spout was often placed at right angles to the handle on coffee and chocolate pots.

Historical Associations
The engraving on the coffee pot reveals that this was a gift to the East India Company. Founded in 1600, the English East India Company was incorporated by royal charter to develop trade with India and East Asia. The Museum's silver teapot of the same form was also presented to the East India Company, in 1670.

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read Teapots through time Tea, the world's most consumed beverage after water, has a long and global history stretching across centuries and continents. Discover some of the finest examples of the most ubiquitous of all kitchen utensils: the teapot.

Object details

Categories
Metalwork
Tea, Coffee & Chocolate Wares
India Museum
Object type
Coffee pot
Materials and techniques
Silver, engraved, with leather-covered handle
Brief description
Coffee pot, sterling silver, English (London), 1681-82, mark of George Garthorne. Engraved with the arms of Richard Sterne
Dimensions
  • Height: 25cm
  • Including handle and spout width: 21.5cm
  • Base diameter: 12.3cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 14/04/1999 by DW
Marks and inscriptions
  • Punched on rim of pot, L to R: Initials 'GG' over a pellet, in a shaped shield, the mark of George Garthorne; leopard's head crowned, the town mark of the London assay office; 'd' in a shield, the date letter for the assay year 1681-82; lion passant, the sterling silver standard mark. Punched on the inside of the circle of silver which is the base of the pot: mark 'GG' over a pellet (worn), maker's mark of George Garthorne.
  • Engraved on the side of the coffee pot: Arms of Richard Sterne in feather cartouche. Below, the inscription: 'The Guift of Richard Sterne E[s]q[uire] / to ye Honorable East: India: Compa[ny]:'
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
British Galleries:
Coffee was introduced to Britain from Turkey in the mid-17th century. It quickly became popular and the first coffee house opened in Oxford in 1657. This is the earliest known English silver coffee pot. The shape is based on Turkish coffee pots. Leather is used on the handle to insulate against heat.
Object history
Richard Sterne of South Kilvington, Yorkshire, was born in around 1641, the eldest son of Richard Sterne, Archbishop of York (1664-1683). In 1681- around the time he presented the coffee pot to the East India Company - he was MP for Ripon and the only member of his family to sit in the Lower House. His gift reflects his ties with the Company, which contributed to his moderate prosperity: in 1688 he owned £2,300 in East India Company stock. Sterne was buried in York Minster on 29 January 1716.
We are grateful to Peter Waldron for drawing this information to our attention.
Summary
Object Type
The coffee pot was one of a series of new vessels developed by European silversmiths for the imported drinks of tea, coffee and chocolate. A tapered cylindrical form was originally used for both coffee and chocolate, but the earliest known silver teapot, dated to 1670, is also of this shape (museum no. M.399-1921). By the 18th century the spout was often placed at right angles to the handle on coffee and chocolate pots.

Historical Associations
The engraving on the coffee pot reveals that this was a gift to the East India Company. Founded in 1600, the English East India Company was incorporated by royal charter to develop trade with India and East Asia. The Museum's silver teapot of the same form was also presented to the East India Company, in 1670.
Bibliographic references
  • V&A Catalogue, 1920, No. 66
  • Oman, C.. Caroline Silver, 1625-1688. London: Faber and Faber, 1970.
  • Watts, W. W. Old English Silver. London: E. Benn, 1924
  • Jackson's Silver & Gold Marks of England, Scotland & Ireland, ed. Ian Pickford. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1989. Third edition, revised. ISBN 0907462634
  • Lincoln, Margarette, ed. Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire, Revolution. Catalogue of the exhibition held 20 November 2015 - 28 March 2016 at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. London: Thames and Hudson, 2015. ISBN 9780500518144
  • The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690, ed. by B. D. Henning (1983).
  • Pollard, A., & Spurr, J. (2014, September 25). Sterne, Richard (1595/6–1683), archbishop of York. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 7 Aug. 2024, from https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-26413.
Other number
02640(IS) - India Museum Catalogue Number
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
M.398-1921

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78577/coffee-pot-unknown/
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