Cubist Approach in Teapots; Maritime Tales

By: vennasa lee

Entrepreneur Robert Crawford Johnson solved the problem of how to avoid spilling your tea while on board ship - he invented a square teapot that would not tip over.

For years designers had wracked their brains to create the perfect teapot for sea travel. Yixing boccaro teapots have been well-known for centuries. The clay in Yixing appears dark red after baking because of its iron content and various other chemical elements. With a perfect combination of artistic skills, the shaping, poems, calligraphy, paintings and seals, Yixing boccaro teapots embody strong character of oriental culture. But they weren't square.

What was needed was one that didn't drip the golden nectar when poured,would not overturn in rough weather and could be easily stored without chipping the spout.

Rather than change the whole design, other designers concentrated on one of these defects in the quest for the perfect pot.By creating a square teapot with the spout neatly tucked away in a corner, Johnson solved all the problems at once.

He registered the Cube teapot as it was called, in 1917. It was not put into production until 1920 - by the well-known potters, Arthur Wood of Stoke-on-Trent.

However, some other companies decided to muscle in on Johnson's brainchild by producing similar pots which were not under license.

Johnson decided to hit back by forming Cube Teapots Ltd in 1925 under an 'Accept No Imitations' marketing banner. Sales stunts included a "living window display" featuring a lady pouring the perfect cups of tea from a Cube Teapot.

Square teapots were adopted by major shipping companies such as Cunard. There are several featured in displays at Merseyside Maritime Museum. Cube teapots were used on the Queen Mary and earlier Cunard ships.

Plant's Bird of Paradise pattern was used from the 1920s. It was mixed freely with the Pink Rose pattern on ships such as the Aquitania, Mauretania and Ausonia II.

The designs were still in use on the Queen Elizabeth 2 as late as 1968 although the pattern and manufacturers changed over the years.

The Queen Mary was the first British liner to embrace the Art Deco style embodied in ivory-coloured tableware with touches of golden brown, grey and black.

Jewish passengers were catered for with a kosher kitchen and separate crockery.A kosher coffee cup and saucer are inscribed "meat" in English and Hebrew.

There are items used on the Great Eastern displayed on a saloon table from Brunel's iconic ship.

There is a huge meat dish or platter from the 1850s along with an 1860s dessert plate.

In the Titanic, Lusitania and the Forgotten Empress gallery can be seen a first class china coffee cup and saucer about 1903 - 7. This was the same design as used on Titanic and was supplied by Stoniers - the famous Liverpool suppliers of crockery to the great liners.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

Please consider handmade yixing teapots and accessories from Yixing, China.

Related Items on eBay:

Chinese Yixing handmade xishi hu tea pot zisha purple clay teapot
$23.04

Vintage Dragon & Phoenix Color Changing Yixing Zisha Purple Clay Teapot Chinese
$79.85

Chinese Yixing Zisha Clay Handmade Teapot. NEW. Purchased In China. With Box
$129.95

Chinese Stone Yellow Longevity Peach Stone Ladle 300cc
$168.00

Vintage Chinese Yixing Zisha Bamboo-Form Teapot – Fan Yongliang – 1970s
$160.74

Handmade Yixing Zisha Clay Bamboo Teapot Gongfu Tea Kettle 400cc Signed CF
$350.00

Print This Article

Comments Closed

Add To Favorites

Email to Friends

Publisher Ready