Teapot (with repaired handle)

1795-1810

Measurements

6 1/4 in x 10 1/4 in x 5 1/2 in

Materials

Porcelain, silver, fused silver on copper alloy, ebony

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of Barbara Nowland Allison

Accession Number

2016.68

Inscription

"MB” within a pseudo-armorial device is enameled on both sides of the body.

Condition Notes

See "Comments."

Provenance

The teapot descended to the donor from Louise Corbit Lea Nowland (1898–1989), who likely inherited it from Eliza Naudain Corbit Lea (1861–1945), the daughter of Charles (1838–1887, a Philadelphia Corbit relative) and Louisa A. Corbit (1838–1901), a daughter of Daniel and Eliza Naudain Corbit.

Comments

Family lore assigned the initials on the side of this teapot to Mary Brinton (d. 1774), wife of Daniel Corbit and mother of William Corbit, but given its time of origin, the teapot must have come into the Corbit family sometime in the 19th century.  The identity of MB is unknown.  The large drum-shaped and ribbed body, blue and gold decoration, and pseudo-armorial device indicate its date range.  The handle repair shows the owners valued the teapot.  Originally an intertwined strap anchored at the sprig sites, the present replacement handle is ebony set into cast-silver sockets held in place by a fused-silver-on-copper strap that encircles the neck and fixes to the bottom with a 90-degree tab.  Given materials and construction, this repair was likely done by a silversmith.  For a similar teapot with its original intertwined strap handle intact, see accession no. 1971.766.

The teapot is visible in a 1921 photograph of Mary Corbit Warner.  See Zimmerman, A Storied Past, 49.

Bibliography

Zimmerman, A Storied Past, 230.