Wedgwood “S.Y.P.” teapot, c.1909

March 19th, 2010

A tilting teapot invented in 1905 by the Earl of Dundonald from Scotland and coined “Simple…Yet Perfect”. The unique design allows the tea to brew in the built-in infuser shelf as the pot lays on its back, tilts halfway up to drain the hot water from the infuser, then sits upright, ready to pour. Teapot measures 5.75 inches high, 6 inches wide.

The replacement lid is made of Britannia metal (aka britannium), a composite made up of 93% tin, 5% antimony & 2% copper.

The ornately decorated bottom is visible when in use.

An identical teapot with its original lid, seen tilted.

Photo courtesy of Southworks Antiques

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Cast iron clothes iron, c.1900

March 19th, 2010

Every household in America had one. Many, such as this one, have a replaced handle. Some irons were just too heavy to support a lighter handle and many snapped off after years of constant use. Currently this iron is being used as a doorstop in my office and I almost forgot to include it in my blog. It is one of a select few “inventive repairs” that I am using in my home for a purpose other than what it was originally intended for.

Faint remains of the original handle are visible on either side of the replaced handle.

This lucky survivor still has its original handle.

Photo courtesy of WorthPoint

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Creamware pepper pot, c.1790

March 19th, 2010

This tiny Wedgwood pepper pot was made in England in the late 1700’s and stands a mere 2-1/2″ high.

The beautifully scalloped and beaded sterling silver rim masks unsightly chips to the base.

A faint WEDGWOOD mark can be seen on the bottom of the pot.

A perfect, larger pepper pot with an unblemished base.

Photo courtesy of Starr Antiques

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Child’s pearlware tea set, c.1820

March 19th, 2010

Little girls were given fragile miniature tea sets such as this one, to practice their homemaking skills and to prepare themselves to become good wives, mothers and hostesses. This drabware soft past pottery set from the early 1800’s was made in England.

The teapot, with replacement metal handle & strap, measures 3-1/2″ tall.

I feel badly for the little girl who accidently broke the teapot, but I am glad her parents took it to their local tinsmith to be repaired, so it could one day end up in my collection.

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Prattware ovoid form jug, c.1810

March 19th, 2010

A charming English pottery  jug from Staffordshire measures 6-1/2″ high, with colorful relief images of children and dates from the early 1800’s. One side shows a boy, a girl holding a doll and their dog and is marked “Sportive Innocence”.

The other side shows the girl and boy fighting and is marked “Mischievous Sport”.

A metal handle was firmly put in place when the original handle broke off, most likely by mischievous children!

This jug is shows what the original molded handle looked like.

Photo courtesy of John Howard

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Edwardian pressed glass vase, c.1910

March 19th, 2010

Those who could not afford to purchase hand cut glass items bought less expensive substitutes made of pressed glass.

This 10-1/2″ tall vase has a home made replaced base made from cement and painted gold to add a touch of “elegance”.

Here is the same vase with its original pressed glass base.

Photo courtesy of eBay

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Large Chinese Qianlong mug, c.1760

March 18th, 2010

This large Chinese porcelain mug from the Qianlong (pronounced SHEEN-LOONG) period is from the mid-1700’s and is decorated in the Mandarin style with polychrome enamels.

Mug measures 5-3/4″ high and has a finely painted courtyard scene, wrapping around three sides.

I love when there are multiple repairs on one object and this mug boasts three different types of inventive repair, including an incised bronze collar to mask chips along the rim.

A wicker wrapped bronze replacement handle stands in for the long lost original porcelain handle. Just below the brass collar are metal staples which stabilize a vertical crack.

The original handle was simply shaped, much like the one pictured below.

Photo courtesy of Guest & Gray

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Meissen porcelain teacup, c.1760

March 18th, 2010

This German porcelain teacup with scalloped rim is delicately painted with a Watteau style figures in a landscape and floral sprigs in tones of copper green, pink and black. It dates from the middle 1700s and bears a cobalt blue crossed swords mark on the underside. It measures 2-3/4″ tall.

A tiny leaf is painted on the inside of the cup, masking one of the few pinpoint sized bubbles in the glaze.

The underside reveals a cobalt blue crossed swords mark.

A well made forged bronze replacement handle from mid-1800s takes the place of the more fragile porcelain original, which must have snapped off early in the cup’s life.

The hand hammered bronze pins are seen from the inside of the cup.

This is what the original “split twig” handle might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Cyberattic

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Stick spatter peafowl teapot, c.1810

March 18th, 2010

English soft paste pottery teapot in the new oval shape, decorated with folksy bird decoration and unusual “S.T.” initials, measures 11″ long and 5-3/4″ high. My mother purchased this wonderful teapot in the mid-1970s, where it sat on a shelf in our kitchen for over 20 years. It was recently given to me as a birthday gift and is a welcomed addition to my collection.

The same naive decoration is on both sides of the teapot.

A simply formed tin lid from the mid-1880’s replaced the original lost or broken lid.

This miniature tea set has a similar peafowl decoration.

Photo courtesy of John Howard

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Sandwich glass oil lamp, c.1840

March 18th, 2010

This “Sweetheart” pattern whale oil lamp was made by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co., Cape Cod Glassworks, and by other manufacturers in and around the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts. I have come across dozens of oil lamps with inventive repairs, as they were used daily, often moved, and frequently broke.

The conical tin base, made by a tinsmith, replaced the original glass base and has been filled with weights to ensure the lamp does not fall over and break again. Lamp stands 9-1/4″ high.

This is what the complete lamp looks like with its original, more ornate base intact.

Photo courtesy of Pavilion Gallery

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