Pearlware Teapot

This pearlware teapot with a blue, hand-painted underglaze from about 1825-1840 was designed with a concave sloping neck, a spout, and a loop handle. The surface is decorated with a series of circular arcs around the shoulder and spear-shaped leaves have been placed at each joint. Spear-shaped leaves also decorate the handle and spout. A quartrefoil-shaped flower flanked by three leaves adorns both sides of the body. The cover has a similar design and a globular knob. After the American Revolution, drinking tea became a politicized activity, as some saw it as unpatriotic. Nevertheless, a home tea service remained a symbol of gentility and class, with upper classes using pure silver sets, and the middle and lower classes using silver luster or ceramic sets to have their afternoon tea and entertain guests.