Teapot

Object Name:

Teapot

Object ID:

1977.011.01

Creator:

Brown, Seth Eastman (1821-1884) -- Jeweler

Place of Origin:

Boston, MA

Date:

1863

Description:

Teapot. Silver. Spherical body with four hairy paw feet. Each foot flows from a leaf form. Handle has spur-like thumb piece, and two bone insulators. Hinged lid is dome-shaped. Recumbent greyhound finial on lid. Body and lid are highly engraved in foliate motifs. Circular panel bears presentation inscription: "Presented to / Jonas.Livingston.Esq./ a testimonial of / Respect and Regard / from the proprietors of the / Monadnock / Mills". Stamped on bottom: "SB & __", "925-00", and "BOSTON". One of a four-piece tea set (1977.011.01-.04).

Material:

Metal
Silver
Bone

Dimensions:

H-7.325 W-10.6 D-5.75 inches

Provenance:

One part of a tea set engraved with a presentation to Jonas Livingston, Esq. (1806-1877), from the proprietors of the Monadnock Mills, at the time of his retirement as superintendent of the mills (of Claremont, NH) in 1863. The set was willed to his wife, Susan M. (Robbe) Livingston (1817-1904), then to his daughter Viola Livingston Stone (1844-1910); then his son Sherman E. Livingston (1833-1901) and last to Sherman's descendants. (Which descendants actually owned the set prior to it going on the antiques market is not known at the time of the Decorative Arts Cataloging project, 2007.) Maker's mark of Seth Eastman Brown (1821-1884), who worked in Concord, NH, until 1849, and then in Boston, MA, until 1866. The will of Jonas Livingston specified that the silver set be bequeathed as follows: "I give and bequeath unto my wife Susan M. Livingston the use of my Silver Tea Set during her natural life and at her decease I give and bequeath the use of said Silver Tea Set unto my daughter Viola F. Stone during her natural life, and at her decease I give and bequeath said Silver Tea Set unto my Son Sherman E. Livingston and his heirs to be forever kept in the Livingston family."
Purchased in memory of Josephine Walker Woodman (1897-1976) of Concord, NH, who was an avid antiques collector.

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase, with funds donated in memory of Josephine Walker Woodman

People:

Brown, Seth Eastman (1821-1884), Livingston, Jonas (1806-1877), Livingston, Susan M. (1817-1904), Stone, Viola F. (1844-1910), Livingston, Sherman E. (1833-1901), Woodman, Josephine Walker (1897-1976)

Subjects:

Cotton mills, Teapots