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Antique 18th Century Circa 1720 English Silver Plate Chocolate Pot with Ebony Handle. The handle has shrunk a small amount over the centuries and is slightly loose but secure and perfectly usable. There is an interesting crest engraved with three trees and a diamond below as shown. The last photo shows a very similar pot in a painting by Alexandre Francoise Desportes (1661-1743) from Sotheby's catalog November 01 1986 The Patino Collection. 

From "RaAntiques":

In 1743, Sheffield cutler Thomas Boulsover (1705-1788) invented a method of plating ingots of copper with thin pieces of silver known today as Sheffield Plate. He began manufacturing small items such as buttons and snuff, patch and coin boxes in large quantities, yet never made full use of his find. In 1758, another Sheffield man, Joseph Hancock, began to manufacture larger pieces of plate such as candlesticks and coffeepots. Hancock became revered for his creations, becoming Master Cutler of the Sheffield area from 1763-64 and one of the 30 original Guardians of the Sheffield Assay Office created by an Act of Parliament in 1773. Upon his death in 1791, a local newspaper described him as "the founder of the plated business in Sheffield, as he was the first person who commenced a manufactory of the goods," completely overshadowing Boulsover's achievement.

9.75 h  x  12" width with handle  x  6.5" depth