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Antique and vintage items make nicer than new gifts
This is a charming little antique Victorian 'Bachelor' or tea-for-two tea pot and a lovely example of 'Sprigged Ware', the skilful technique of decorating pottery with shapes in low relief that are made separately and then applied to the main body before firing. It's a technique made popular by Wedgwood in their Jasperware range.
In this case the cream sprigs reflect the classic 19th Century theme of 'Vine and Grapes', applied to a typically Victorian brown band across the middle of the belly of the teapot. The rest of the teapot is in a matching glazed cream with a finely ribbed upper and lower body.
Date and maker? We can only make an educated guess. As collectors of relief moulded Victorian jugs we think it was probably produced between 1840-1880 i.e. c.1860. There is no maker's mark, but we've seen an identical tea pot with a blue band that was cautiously linked to William Brownfield because of pattern information on the base.
Condition? Even without an accurate date, the tea pot must be at least 150 years old, which makes its excellent condition even more remarkable. There are no external chips or cracks and importantly the spout has survived all those years without damage; the 'sprigs' are also intact. The pewter lid is tight, the hinge-mechanism is fully working and it is without dents. The only flaw we have spotted is a hairline crack in the white glaze inside the teapot, which doesn't carry through to the outside wall.