Teapots have always been a favourite with porcelain collectors, either the prized piece from an extensive service or a novelty shaped pot never really intended for use.

They are wonderful objects, ranging vastly in size and shape and being made in all manner of ceramic bodies including porcelain, pottery and stoneware, as well as silver, plate and other metals.

The first teapots used in the West were probably in fact wine pots, originating from China, and were brought in as part of the vast cargos of traded goods by the British and Dutch East India Companies.  These early shipments also included the new and exotic beverage Tee, Tay, or Tcha.

The first record of tea being sold in Britain goes back as far as 1658, though in the 17th and 18th centuries tea was by no means the drink for the common man.  Teapots, caddies and bowls (cups not commonly used until the 19th century) were small and precious objects.  Tea, being expensive, was used sparingly and often kept in locked caddies to prevent misuse by servants.

Between 1840 and 1890 the national average consumption of tea rose from 1.6lbs to 5.7lbs per head, it was freed from tax and new cheap supplies were imported from India and Ceylon.  Tea became the mostly widely consumed beverage, usually taken with milk and sweetened with sugar.

Rare and exotic teapots feature in Tennants November Catalogue Sale at Leyburn, ranging from a very rare and early Worcester soft paste porcelain example, circa 1755, to an unusual Minton Majolica teapot from the mid 19th century, in the form of a monkey grasping a coconut.  This rare example should fetch in excess of £3000.  Collectors, however, can start with modest examples of unusual shaped teapots from the late 19th and 20th century for as little as £20.

Teapots will be the subject of a talk by Nigel Smith, Associate Director of Tennants Auctioneers, at Bettys Tearooms in Ilkley on 20th September.  If you would like to learn more about the history of teapots in their various forms, or indeed would like to have a teapot of your own valued, why not come along.  Examples from Bettys’ extensive collection of fine teapots will be on display as well as one or two examples to be included in future auction sales in Leyburn.

For information or a reservation call Bettys on 01943 608029, a few tickets may still be available!

If you are considering selling fine art and antiques including tea related items then free appraisals are available at Tennants Harrogate Office every Monday between 9am-4pm.  Complimentary tea (of the Yorkshire variety) is always available.

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