Teapot

This handsome teapot by Paul Revere I carries the restrained engraving and globular, or apple-shaped, profile typical of Boston teapots from the 1730s through the 1750s. It is one of three in the Museum’s collection, from a total of four that Revere I is believed to have made. Its spout is original, unlike the one on the Foster/Hutchinson family teapot published by Kathryn C. Buhler, which was “changed within the memory of the donor.” The engraving on both is similar, but this teapot has a condensed design that is handled with a far more delicate touch than the broadly conceived scrolls and leafage on the Foster teapot. The 1730 marriage date of the original owners and the italic text of the “P [pellet] Revere” mark suggest that this teapot was one of the elder Revere’s early attempts at this form.

This text has been adapted from "Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000," edited by Jeannine Falino and Gerald W.R. Ward, published in 2008 by the MFA. Complete references can be found in that publication.