Need help dating 19th Century Transferware Tea Pot

Hello!

The note, inside this tea pot, states that the piece came from England sometime in the 1700s...and that's where we part company. Although unmarked I believe the pot came from England but I think the date of the "early 1700s" may be 50 to 100 years too early. I know the design (I believe it's called "Casanova") and if I'm correct the design didn't exist prior to the 1820s. However, I do think this is very early transferware based upon the difficulty experienced lining up the patterns on early transferware. So, that's the quandary...is it actually 18th century or 19th century. The other thing that confuses me about the piece is the professional restoration work done on the rim. Why would someone spend the effort, and money, to repair that which by the 1830s, was fairly common. Any help dating this pot would be much appreciated.

 

I believe you're on the right track but I'd call this a domed coffee pot. The pattern I believe is Canova, a pattern by Mayer, from 1830 or so.

It's hard to make out the repair but I'm assuming it's a staple repair. That method was used into the 20th C and prolonged the useful life of many ceramics.

 

There's a red one currently listed on ebay for $1250 as Thomas Mayer. Hope springs eternal.

 

Thanks "say_it_slowly"! HYou are absolutely right in that it is a coffee pot but even more importantly...that Thomas Mayer called his painting "Canova"...not Casanova!

It is a staple repair, (there are actually a few of them), and the spout and handle are damaged as well. By 1830, though, I thought they had transferware tacked down pretty well and it does surprise me that it is so unevenly laid down. I have included a couple of extra photos. Again, thank you.

 

It's my understanding that in the mass production of ceramics in the 19 th C even children were working in the factories. Matching up the patterns is often sloppy.

Now, I myself have never tried matching up bits of cut patterns on to ceramics so I've often wondered if it's possible for a pattern to slip or be bumped out of place later in the process before firing.

 

Here is a really interesting site with lots of staple repairs.

http://andrewbaseman.com/blog/?tag=staplesrivets

 

As for the repairs, sometimes the sentimental value of a piece is higher than the monetary value. This may well have been Grandma's pot, and when it broke ... you can get a new teapot, but not a new Grandma. I found a transferware soap dish this weekend with a staple repair, probably for the same reason. I half wish I'd bought it now, for the story I could have made up to go with it if nothing else.

 

I've got a few staple repaired pieces and I always imagine they were very precious to someone.

I have a tea bowl and saucer in the Canova pattern and did quite a bit of research on it at one time.

I was volunteering at an archaeological dig of a church site dating back to the 18th Century. One of the few sherds of pottery found was a small bit of brown transferware. I spent a lot of time trying to identify the pattern from a 1" bit of pattern and eventually found it to be Canova.

I love to buy whole examples of pottery items that match the tiny bits found while digging and of course it helps date a site when you can date the pots.

 

Here is the bit of pottery that turned out to be Canova. I think it's prettier in your purple/mulberry

http://www.elkrunchurch.org/category/project-log/page/10/

 

I have a teapot like that in red, but mine doesn't have the cover any longer. I use it for flower arrangements.

As far as the repairs, maybe it was a wedding gift or something special that was worth the effort.

 

Hi,
My Gram's favorite coffee cup had 12 or 15 staples in. Her BIL was a repairman from Alsace who did beautiful repair work with staples. I had perhaps 10 or so pieces that he repaired but ended up giving them to other family members. My Gram's cup ended up getting lost in a move. I love stapled pieces.
greg