This rare, 19th-century silver plated teapot epitomises Glasgow-born designer Christopher Dresser’s novel approach to design — and now it could be yours

Scottish designer Christopher Dresser’s rare silver plated teapot could sell for as much as £50,000 when it goes under the hammer at auction next month.

This 19th-century piece balances historic craft and modern taste, appealing to collectors who value functionality as much as aesthetics.

The striking body is assembled from six panels producing a near geometric profile, while the ebony handle and cast finial are welcomed as necessary counterpoints instead of decorative afterthoughts. 

Believed to be one of only three known models, it will be one of the star lots at Lyon and Turnbull stages its Design Since 1860 two-day auction. 

Who is designer Christopher Dresser?

Born in Glasgow in 1834, the designer was determined to make stylish household objects accessible to ordinary people. He worked with more than fifty manufacturers across Britain, Europe and the United States learning how to use machinery of mass production without sacrificing style. 

“As with all his designs, Christopher Dresser varied the degree of surface decoration according to the material used. In silver and plated wares, he tended to emphasise form, which made the objects simpler and less expensive to manufacture on a larger scale,” says John Mackie, Lyon & Turnbull’s head of design. “He was deeply concerned with the economical use of costly materials and made it his business to understand production techniques thoroughly.”

His output was enormous and included metal teapots, toast racks, kettles, ceramic vases, glassware, textiles, wallpaper and carpets. Yet unlike many Victorian designers, he sought restraint and purpose in form rather than decoration for its own sake.

A pivotal moment in the artist’s career was a four-month visit to Japan in 1876 and 1877. He was among the first European designers to explore the country after it opened to the West, and he returned captivated by Japanese aesthetics. He admired their economy of means, structural clarity and the way form and function were explored together.

This teapot belongs to a small group of designs he supplied to James Dixon and Sons in Sheffield between 1879 and 1882 following this trip. These creations are what ultimately earned the designer’s reputation as a proto-modernist and helped secure his place as one of the greatest talents of 19th century design, according to Lyon & Turnbull design experts.

“Dresser’s designs were undoubtedly pioneering and his teapots, reflecting his interest in polyhedral Japanese tea kettles, were produced in very limited numbers in electroplate and, occasionally, in silver,”  says John Mackie. “There can be little doubt that the remarkable originality of Christopher Dresser’s designs for Dixon’s, and this teapot in particular, marks it as one of his seminal works. Two other examples of this model are known. One is held by the V&A Museum in London and the other is in the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.”

The Design Since 1860 two-day auction will be held at Lyon & Turnbull auction house on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th October from 10am.

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