This rotund teapot is one of a small group unique to Jonathan Clarke’s Newport shop. They are characterized by ovoid bodies rather than the more conventional spherical, apple, and pear shapes preferred in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Another unusual aspect is the high, splayed foot, a component usually identified with later inverted pear-shaped Rococo examples. A number of Edinburgh and Glasgow silversmiths produced teapots similar to Clarke's between 1720 and 1750, although at this time it is not known whether an actual relationship exists between the Clarke and Scottish teapots or if their similarities are coincidental.

Related examples:  Gourley 1965. nos. 39, 40.

Technical notes: The wooden handle may be original. The lid is vented, its finial secured by a nut and bolt.

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.