1882 Royal Worcester Aesthetic Movement Porcelain Teapot

Item Details

An antique Royal Worcester teapot from the Aesthetic Movement. The Budge teapot, designed by James Hadley, features a Janus-faced figural design depicting busts of a red-haired female in a green dress to one side and a red-haired male in a green button-down shirt to the other with the angled arms serving as the spout and the handle. The humorous and affected form references the Aesthetic Movement spear-headed by Oscar Wilde as well as the use of bright purple and green clothing adorned with a sunflower and a calla lily. The movement emphasized aesthetic values to art rather than social, political, or moral ideology. The inscription to the underside reads ‘Fearful consequences through the laws of natural selection and evolution of living up to one’s teapot.’ It references an Oscar Wilde quote as well as Charles Darwin’s newly introduced theory of natural selection, both of which were unpopular among conservative and pious Victorians. The porcelain teapot has an English Registry mark indicating the form was patented in December of 1881. The Royal Worcester manufacturer’s emblem with a ‘T’ date code places production in 1882.

Condition

- fair, the hat has a repaired chip, tips of sunflower and calla lily, both have chips and light repairs.

Dimensions

Item #

17LAX367-030-001