The form of this coffee pot, with spout and handle at right angles, derives from English silverware. This shape was particularly popular during the reign of Queen Anne (1702-14) and went out of fashion in the 1760s. A technique for gilding Chinese porcelain was introduced early in the Qing dynasty, using gold leaf ground into a powder and mixed with colourless lead enamel.

 

Exhibited: ‘The World in Monochromes’, Oriental Ceramic Society 2009, no. 199

Literature: R. Scott et al., The World in Monochromes (London, 2009), p. 89

Provenance: Christie’s, London, 23 May 1985, lot. 299; accepted in lieu of Inheritance tax by HM Government from the estate of Anthony du Boulay in 2024 and allocated to the Winchester College Treasury Museum.

Location: Not on display