Biedermeier Teapot With Swan-shaped Finial, Darmstadt, Ca. 1840

Silver, 14 loths fine, hammered, cast, chiseled, and engraved; blackened wood.

Dimensions: 14 × 14.5 × 10.5 cm

Weight: 677 g

Hallmarked on the underside of the base with the hallmark of the Hessian city of Darmstadt, depicting a rampant lion holding a sword, as well as the hallmark bearing the number 14, indicating the silver’s fineness. A small imported French hallmark depicting a crab is also visible.

Oval-shaped teapot resting on a low foot, with a plinth decorated with a frieze engraved with plant scrolls. The rounded, plain body is adorned at the top with a half-circle decorated with a stylized frieze consisting of a wavy ribbon encircling ears of grain.

The neck, tapered and contoured, leads to an oval opening closed by a plain, removable lid. The lid’s handle consists of a fully modeled swan figurine. The body bears an interlaced monogram consisting of the letters “DZM.”

The spout, set fairly low, is S-shaped and plain; its tip is decorated with a motif similar to that on the base’s plinth. The curved handle, made of blackened wood, is secured at its lower end by a silver ferrule and at its upper end by a rosette divided into radiating compartments.