This striking oval porcelain teapot was made by Derby in England at the end of the 18th century and is decorated with neo-classic silhouette figures in black and gold as well as elaborately painted gilt decoration on the handle and spout. It stands 4-1/2″ tall and is 7-1/4″ wide from handle to spout and has a faint puce mark on the underside, dating it to around 1790.
It is not uncommon for teapots to lose their original lids over the years and I suppose that’s what happened to this pretty pot. In this case, a tinsmith fashioned a well fitting replacement lid in the style of the original. The raw metal was painted to match the original white body and gilt decoration was added. The resulting inventive repair is well done, hard to detect and allows the teapot to be used once again.
I LOVE IT !!