Asa Whitney’s teapot combines Neoclassical simplicity with the generous proportions that characterize the Grecian taste. Accompanying the teapot is a matching stand, an optional addition to protect linens and tabletops from spills and burns.  Stands were introduced during the Late Baroque period, and with the advent of the flat -bottomed Neoclassical teapot, a paired stand became a welcome adjunct. Both functional and aesthetic, the stand raises the teapot and alleviates a ponderous appearance.

Technical notes: The body is hammered and seamed behind the handle; its shoulder is a separate component that is soldered on.

Related examples: A matching sugar dish and slop bowl were auctioned with the teapot.  The sugar dish’s location is unknown; the bowl belongs to the Newark Museum. Newark, New Jersey (acc. no. 23.203).

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff.  American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.