Teapot
MakerMade by
Unknown
Datelate 19th-early 20th century
MediumMold-formed earthenware with a translucent brown glaze
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height including lid x width x depth): 8 1/4 x 9 x 3 5/8in. (21 x 22.9 x 9.2cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineEstate of Florence S. M. Crofut, gift of Mrs. George H. Day
DescriptionTen-sided earthenware teapot with lid, with a translucent brown glaze, a type of ceramic known as Rockingham ware. The teapot (.a) is decorated on each side with the same relief molded scene showing a woman in a robe, holding a ceramic jug, standing next to a low stone well. The teapot has a spout with floral relief decorations and a handle with abstract geometric relief decoration. The domed lid (.b) has floral relief decorations and a small circular finial. The lid has an oval cut-out to allow the lid to be removed from below the protruding devices that keep the lid on while pouring. There is light crazing over all the surfaces of the teapot, and four chips in the rim of the lid.
Object number1974.50.2333a-b
NotesOjbect Note: The scene on this teapot illustrates the biblical story of Rebecca at the Well. In the story, told in Genesis, Abraham's servant recognized the woman whom God had chosen to be Isaac's wife by her offer to carry water from the well until all his camels were satiated. The ideal of a woman performing an act of service to a man, in obedience to God, symbolized the concept of ideal womanhood prevalent in the later nineteenth century. As a result, this was one of the most frequently illustrated stories from the bible in the second half of the nineteenth century. E. & W. Bennett of Baltimore, Maryland, introduced the Rebecca at the Well teapot in 1851, and by the end of the century it had been copied by nearly all the American potteries. The teapot remained in production at the Edwin Bennet Pottery until 1936, when the factory burned down. The Rebecca at the Well teapot was the best and longest-selling Rockingham Ware pattern in history. For a more complete discussion of Rockingham ware, gender identity, and the Rebecca at the Well teapot, see Jane Perkins Claney. Rockingham Ware in American Culture, 1830-1930: Reading Historical Artifacts. Hanover: University Press of New England, 2004, chapter five. (Hunt 9/2/2004)On View
Not on view
