English Blue and White Willow Pattern Porcelain Teapot with Overhead Handle, 1920

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Description

A squared overhead carrying handle in solid cobalt glaze arches directly over the domed lid of this compact globular teapot. … Read more A squared overhead carrying handle in solid cobalt glaze arches directly over the domed lid of this compact globular teapot. Lined with hand-applied gilt highlights along the rims, the handle joins the shoulder alongside an elegantly curved pouring spout detailed with complementary gilded foliate flourishes. The main body features the traditional Willow pattern transfer-printed in rich cobalt blue on a bright white ground. The design incorporates all the customary elements of the legend: the central pagoda complex, a boat drifting on the water, the three figures traversing the arched bridge, a drooping willow tree, and the pair of flying doves overhead. The shoulder is finished with a diaper band and scrollwork collar. A matching stepped cover fits flush within the neck aperture, decorated with geometric border motifs and centred by a moulded pointed finial in deep blue. Designed with compact proportions ideal for serving tea for two, the teapot measures 16 cm in height to the top of the stationary handle and 16 cm in length across the spout. Produced in England around 1920, this design draws on late Victorian aesthetics adapted for early twentieth-century domestic tea sets. The underside reveals an unglazed standing foot ring enclosing a clean, plain glazed base with no factory backstamp, typical of pottery produced for trade retailers. Preserved in clean antique condition, the ceramic body and glaze remain bright, with minor wear consistent with gentle handling and slight thinning to the gilt borders. See less