a late victorian porcelain " henley' pattern teapot by sampson hancock & sons of stoke on trent with a super tinker repaired tin likp to the spout.
height to top of lid ... 160mm ... spout tip to furthest edge of handle ... 255 mm wide ... max width of body ... 160mm
the teapot has a very old and at the time costly tinker made replacement tin lip to the spout, the repair gives the tea pot an even more charming appeal, it has its own unique personality, the repair gives us an insight into its history and the importance and value the owner held for it, the beauty is found because of the break and the subsequent repair, not in spite of it. the "scars and stitches" are a testament to the object's history and resilience.
the use of tin, staples etc., to repair broken ceramics originated in china and was later adopted in england in the 18th century for the repair of important and valuable pottery, becoming widely used in the 19th century, the process dying out with the introduction of suitable adhesives.
